John Bolton on Trump Officials Leaking Secret Military Plans via Signal

Shocking Leak of Military Battle Plans

• 💡 John Bolton expressed extreme shock and disbelief upon learning that Trump administration officials communicated secret military battle plans via a Signal group chat.
• ⚠️ Bolton emphasized that Signal, while encrypted, is not equivalent to U.S. government secure telecommunications and questioned why participants didn't object to using it for such sensitive discussions.
• 📌 He stated that discussions of this nature should have occurred in secure government settings like the Situation Room or a principals committee meeting, chaired by the president.

Lack of Accountability and Precedent

• 🎯 Bolton is not aware of similar incidents occurring during Trump's first term, noting he himself used government email systems sparingly.
• 🚫 He believes Donald Trump would not fire anyone over this unless it directly harmed him personally.
• ⚖️ Regarding potential legal ramifications, Bolton expressed zero faith in the Justice Department to prosecute any officials involved.

Comparison to Hillary Clinton's Email Scandal

• 🗣️ Bolton recalled his strong criticism of Hillary Clinton's private email use in 2016, highlighting the hypocrisy of discussing official business on non-official channels.
• 🏛️ He questioned how government business could be conducted over non-official channels, especially when in Washington D.C. with access to secure government lines.

Trump's Reaction and Potential Adversary Access

• 🤥 Bolton does not believe President Trump's claim of hearing about the leak for the first time, suggesting he likely would have been informed through media consumption or staff.
• ❓ While unsure if adversaries like China or Russia accessed the information, Bolton stressed the importance of using government secure communications facilities for sensitive and classified information.

Handling of the Leak by The Atlantic

• 📰 Bolton found no immediate criticism of The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, for his handling of the story, acknowledging the initial need to verify legitimacy.
• 🧐 He suggested that Goldberg's decision to redact classified information before publication was appropriate, and that the general description of events in the article did not appear to be worse than what was already known.