Sen. Bennett Blasts CIA Director Ratcliffe Over Leaked Airstrike Plans

Heated Exchange Over Signal Thread

• 🎯 Senator Michael Bennett confronted CIA Director John Ratcliffe regarding the leak of plans for airstrikes on Houthi terrorists.
• 💡 The core of the dispute centers on a Signal messaging app thread and how a journalist, Jeff Goldberg, was added to it.
• ❓ Bennett pressed Ratcliffe on whether Goldberg was invited to the thread, questioning if the CIA Director knew who added him.

Ratcliffe's Testimony and Bennett's Scrutiny

• 🗣️ Ratcliffe stated he had seen conflicting reports about who added the reporter to the Signal thread.
• ⚠️ Bennett expressed disbelief that a reporter described as "deceitful" and "highly discredited" would be appropriately added to such a thread.
• 🚫 Ratcliffe eventually conceded that it was not appropriate for the reporter to be added.

Use of Signal for Sensitive Information

• 🔒 Bennett questioned Ratcliffe about his personal use of Signal for classified information or targeting, to which Ratcliffe replied he does not use it for such purposes.
• 🧐 Bennett highlighted that he also does not use Signal for classified communications, implying a discrepancy in protocol.
• 🤷 Ratcliffe's testimony regarding the appropriateness of the journalist's inclusion and his own usage of Signal was met with skepticism by Bennett.

Disrespect and Incompetence Allegations

• 📰 Bennett accused Ratcliffe of implying that using Signal for such discussions was normal and had been inherited from the previous administration, which Ratcliffe denied saying.
• 🏛️ Bennett raised concerns about the President's Middle East advisor being on the same thread while in Moscow, a fact Ratcliffe stated he was not aware of.
• 🚫 The Senator concluded by calling the situation "sloppiness," "incompetence," and "disrespect" for intelligence agencies, deeming it unacceptable and an embarrassment.