The hosts of “The View” expressed strong reactions to a significant security breach involving senior Trump administration officials mistakenly including journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing military operations in Yemen. The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. During the show, Whoopi Goldberg questioned whether the officials should be jailed, given the Trump administration’s past emphasis on maintaining classified information.
Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, added that the officials may have violated provisions of the Espionage Act, which could lead to jail time. Jeffrey Goldberg reported witnessing sensitive discussions in the Signal chat but chose not to print specific details due to national security implications. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin criticized the use of Signal, an encrypted messaging app, by senior officials to discuss military operations.
Joy Behar and Hostin expressed their disapproval of the situation, with Behar calling it “sick” and Hostin remarking on the unserious nature of the breach. President Trump stated that National Security Advisor Waltz would not be fired and downplayed the importance of the messages exchanged.
Trump officials’ Signal chat mishap
The president also defended the operation against the Houthis in Yemen, calling it a success. White House spokesperson Leavitt dismissed allegations that classified material or war plans were discussed in the chat, affirming that measures are in place for secure communication among top officials. In hearings on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified that the information discussed in the Signal chat was not classified.
They also swore that “information on weapons, packages, targets or timing” was not discussed in the messages, as far as they were aware. However, on Wednesday morning, it was proven false, showing that Hegseth himself detailed the timing of attacks and the exact military aircraft they would be coming from. Hostin stated, “It is now clear to me, at least as a former federal prosecutor, that they likely perjured themselves.” Whoopi Goldberg quickly responded, “You think?!” Hostin added, “There are consequences to perjury.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed disappointment in how President Trump’s allies are spinning the incident, dismissing it as a simple mistake despite the clear evidence.
Whoopi Goldberg compared the Trump administration’s handling of the scandal to a cat using a litter box, saying, “They’re doing what cats do. When the cat uses the cat box, the cat shuffles like this and tries to cover it up, you know? Covers it all up.”
Goldberg expressed shock that no one questioned the unknown number in the message thread and emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating that anyone else who did this would be “gone.”
The scandal has sparked widespread criticism, with a Republican panelist expressing disappointment in right-wing media coverage downplaying the incident.
