A leading U.S. Senate Republican has called for an independent investigation into Trump administration officials’ discussions of sensitive military plans on the Signal messaging app, after critics argued that if the information had been leaked, it could have put U.S. troops at risk.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that he and Senator Jack Reed, the panel’s top Democrat, would request an expedited Inspector General report and a classified briefing from President Donald Trump’s administration. “We are signing a letter today asking for an expedited IG report to the committee. We’re also sending a similar letter to the administration to establish the ground truth,” Wicker told reporters. He emphasized that, based on his understanding, the information disclosed in the chat was sensitive enough to warrant classification.
The Defense Department’s inspector general position remains vacant following the removal of multiple officials since Trump began his second term in January. However, Wicker expressed confidence that the Pentagon would proceed with an investigation. Concerns over the Signal chat, which discussed the planned targeting of a Houthi militant in Yemen on March 15, have been raised by both Democrats and a few Republicans. The chat included high-ranking officials such as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It was later revealed that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, had been inadvertently included.
Gabbard and Ratcliffe have spent the past two days testifying before the Senate and House intelligence committees on global threats to the U.S., addressing concerns over the incident.
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