Cuban-American Congresswoman, María Elvira Salazar, has downplayed the significant mistake made by the U.S. military's top brass, which involved accidentally including a journalist in a private messaging group of senior officials discussing military plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen. With statements like "let's not get distracted by a mistake" and "let he who is without error cast the first stone," Salazar chose not to assess the seriousness of the situation, instead urging focus on the outcome: the death of numerous terrorists.
"One of our intelligence team's main tasks is to eliminate terrorists, and that's exactly what they did with the Houthis. Remember, Biden had removed the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, simply allowing them to attack all our ships! Let's not get sidetracked by one mistake!" María Elvira wrote on X, sharing a clip from an interview where she expressed similar sentiments on national television.
In another post, this time in Spanish, on the platform X, she added, "Let he who is without error cast the first stone. Patriots like Hegseth and Waltz will never stop fighting for Americans. After four years of weakness, it's encouraging to have leaders with genuine military experience to restore U.S. security!"
However, some users in the comments section of both posts disagreed with the Republican congresswoman. "María Elvira, this isn't a 'mistake'; it's negligence by senior cabinet members risking U.S. soldiers by using insecure communication apps. Hold them accountable; it's your job," one user remarked.
Major Blunder Denied by the White House
The Trump Administration made an unprecedented error by inadvertently adding a journalist to a private messaging group where senior officials discussed war plans against the Houthis in Yemen. The leak stirred controversy in Washington, prompting an internal investigation, even as the White House tried to downplay the issue.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, disclosed in an article titled "The Trump Administration accidentally messaged me their war plans," that he was added to a chat on the Signal app in early March. The account that included him bore the name of the White House security advisor, Mike Waltz.
The messaging group comprised key administration figures, such as Vice President JD Vance; Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth; Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; and National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard. Discussions in the chat involved strategic details of attacks against the Houthis, including timings and weaponry, according to the reporter.
The National Security Council spokesman, Brian Hughes, acknowledged that the messages appeared "authentic" and assured that the government was investigating how an unauthorized number got into the conversation. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the Trump administration had discussed military plans in a private chat. Likewise, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Goldberg of sensationalism, claiming the situation was an exaggeration on his part, focusing on the outcome as María Elvira did.
President Donald Trump stated he had no knowledge of The Atlantic's article and dismissed its significance. "I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of The Atlantic. I think it's a magazine that's going to disappear," he told reporters.
Understanding the Military Chat Leak Incident
Why did María Elvira Salazar dismiss the chat leak incident?
María Elvira Salazar dismissed the chat leak incident because she focused on the outcome of the military actions, which was the elimination of terrorists, rather than the mistake itself.
What was the error committed by the Trump Administration?
The error committed by the Trump Administration involved accidentally adding a journalist to a private messaging group where military plans against the Houthis were being discussed.
How did the White House respond to the leak?
The White House attempted to downplay the significance of the leak, and an internal investigation was launched to understand how an unauthorized number was included in the chat.