'Circular firing squad': Signal chat members pick scapegoats to save their jobs

A new article in Politico claims that "what started as a group chat has turned into a circular firing squad," in the ongoing saga of the leaked war plans that no one in the Trump administration will acknowledged contained classified information.

Of the 19 people who were on the Signal chat, national security adviser Mike Waltz has stepped up to take some sort of responsibility for inadvertently adding The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the list of recipients. Goldberg thought it was a joke at first but knew he needed to leave the chat once bombs actually started falling on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In his subsequent article in The Atlantic, Goldberg said he would not reveal anything that would risk national security. However, the classified information denials at House and Senate hearings convinced him to publish the entire chat the next day, which included time, location, and weapons to be used in the strike that killed a Houthi commander and possibly his girlfriend.

Although the public fallout hasn't yet seen anyone losing their jobs for putting U.S. service members at risk, behind the scenes is a different story.

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"Trump administration officials who participated in the now infamous leaked Signal chat are scrambling to minimize the political stain on themselves," wrote reporters Eric Bazail-Eimil and Amy Mackinnon. "Many are blaming the media, or Democrats, for making such a big deal about it. Some are subtly pointing fingers at each other. Others are finding ways to reframe the conversation so they become minor players, otherwise deflecting, or staying silent and hoping the storm passes over."

But the lack of admission and accountability is ensuring the storm will not blow over anytime soon.

"While President Donald Trump has so far stood behind the officials in the group chat (in public at least), the scandal could balloon big enough that someone loses their job," wrote Bazail-Eimil and Mackinnon.

On the firing line could be Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who may have perjured themselves before the congressional hearings.

While some play the blame game, other Signal group chat members have remained mum on the whole affair. According to Politico, they include National Security Adviser Alex Wong, State Department chief of staff and counselor Michael Needham, National Security Council senior director Walker Barrett, National Security Council Chief of Staff Brian McCormick, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Treasury Secretary, and Dan Katz, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Read the Politico article here.