At today's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) grilled top Trump Administration intel officials about the leaked group chat about Yemen war plans.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank You mr. Chairman, I'll be happy to take your extra 13 seconds, but um, I'm gonna go back to what I addressed at the outset
00:05I mean, this was not only sloppy
00:08Not only violated all procedures
00:11but if this
00:13Information had gotten out
00:17American lives could have been lost
00:19Hooties had this information could reposition
00:23their defensive systems
00:25So I want to get a little more information about this and director Gabbard
00:29Did you participate in the group chat with Secretary of Defense and other Trump senior officials discussing the Yemen war plans?
00:37Senator I don't want to get into this
00:39Did you were you on you're not going to be willing to address so you're not are you denying that?
00:43Will you answer my question ma'am? You are not TG on this group chat
00:49I'm not gonna get into the specific. So you refuse to acknowledge whether you are on this group chat
00:55Senator I'm not going to get into this. Why are they why are you gonna get into specifics?
00:59Is this is it because it's all classified because this is currently under review by the National Security because it's all classified if it's not
01:05classified
01:07share the text now as
01:09The White House previous is it classified or non classified information on this? I can confirm director Radcliffe. Were you on the group chat?
01:18Senator I was on a signal messaging group. So you were the John Radcliffe on that chat
01:24I was thank you. Thank you. Can I provide some context senator to that? Yes, but I've got a series of questions
01:31Well, but I think it's important because at the outset you made a couple of comments about signal messaging using encrypted apps
01:38So that we're clear one of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director
01:43Was signal was loaded onto my computer at the CIA as it is for most CIA officers
01:50One of the things that I was briefed on very early senator was by the CIA
01:56Records management folks about about the use of signal as a permissible work use
02:01It is that is a practice that preceded the current administration to the Biden admin director Radcliffe. I've got a series of questions
02:09I I do you if you're making the same point. Well, you're making the statement. The signal is a secure channel
02:16No, can I answer that it is I've got a
02:20decryption so it is
02:22It is permissible to use to communicate and coordinate for work purposes provided
02:28provided senator that any decisions that are made are also
02:33Recorded through formal channels. So those were procedures that were implemented
02:39My staff implemented those processes followed those processes
02:44complied with
02:45and and and finally just please
02:48so my
02:50communications to be clear in a signal message group were entirely permissible and
02:56Lawful and did not include classified information
02:59Well, we will we will make that determination because if it's not classified share the text with the committee
03:05You
03:07Know let me go go on director Gabbard. You are the security executive and set access guidelines for classified information
03:16Did you?
03:18Contact the defense secretary or others
03:21After this specific military planning was put out and say hey, we should be doing this in a skiff
03:29There was no classified material that was shared in that
03:33If there was no classified in material share it with the committee
03:38You can't have it both ways these are important jobs, this is our national security
03:45Bobbing and weaving and trying to you know
03:49Filibuster your answer. So please answer the question if this was a right director Gabbard if this was a rank-and-file intelligence officer
03:58Who did this kind of careless behavior, what would you do with them?
04:04Senator I'll reiterate that there was no classified material that was shared in that
04:08And if there's no classified in materials share and then if there's no classified materials then answer that you can't even answer the question
04:16Whether you on the chat, this is strangely familiar
04:18And I think my colleagues remember when you couldn't answer the question is Edward Snowden a traitor
04:25Now I have serious doubts
04:28About your
04:31Director Gabbard
04:33Tweeted just 11 days ago and I'm quoting you any
04:37Unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such
04:43So if this information is classified
04:46What are you going to do?
04:49Senator two points here. First of all, there's a difference between inadvertent release versus
04:56Careless and sloppy malicious leaks of classified information. The second point is there was no classified information
05:02That was on the information
05:05information
05:07Times about how I'm gonna use my 12 seconds up the chairman came director Patel has the FBI launched any investigation of this
05:15Senator I was just briefed about it late last night this morning. I don't have an update
05:18I would like to get an answer by the end of the day
05:22At this point in the