'I Don't Know Jeffrey Goldberg': Ratcliffe Has Tense Exchange With Jon Ossoff Over Leaked War Plans

3 days ago

At today's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) grilled CIA Director John Ratcliffe about the leaked group chat about Yemen war plans.

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Transcript

00:00Director Ratcliffe, you were a member of the Houthi PC small group signal chain, correct?

00:06I was.

00:07And so were the Vice President, the Secretaries of State and Defense, the National Security

00:10Advisor and Ms. Gabbard, correct?

00:14I believe so.

00:15I don't have a list of who was invited.

00:18And so was national political reporter Jeffrey Goldberg, correct?

00:21I don't know that.

00:23Yes, you do.

00:26I don't know Jeffrey Goldberg.

00:28And I've already testified, I don't know whether or how he was added.

00:33Okay, well, he was a member of the signal chain.

00:35And the discussion included the Vice President's private opinion on the wisdom of proposed

00:39US strikes in Yemen, correct?

00:43I don't recall.

00:44Vance, quote, I think we are making a mistake.

00:47I am not sure the President is aware of how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe

00:51right now.

00:52Do you have a strong argument for delaying this a month?

00:59You don't recall?

01:00I don't.

01:01As you...

01:02You don't recall seeing that?

01:03Read that.

01:04I don't.

01:05It included the private opinions of the Secretary of Defense on the timing of strikes in Yemen,

01:09correct?

01:10I don't recall.

01:12Director Ratcliffe, surely you prepared for this hearing today.

01:14You were part of a group of principals, senior echelons of the US government, in now a widely

01:21publicized breach of sensitive information.

01:24You don't recall whether the Vice President opined on the wisdom of the strikes?

01:28That's your testimony today under oath?

01:30In that setting, I don't recall.

01:33Here's what Secretary Hegseth said, quote, waiting a few weeks or months does not fundamentally

01:37change the calculus.

01:38Two immediate risks on waiting, one, this leaks and we look indecisive, two, Israel

01:44takes an action first or Gaza ceasefire falls apart and we don't get to start this on our

01:48own terms.

01:49Those are your testimonies.

01:50You don't recall the Secretary of Defense sending that message or reading it?

01:55I recall there being an exchange.

01:58I don't recall the specifics as you're reading it.

02:00Well, let's put it this way, Director Ratcliffe, a discussion by senior US officials on the

02:05timing and risks of a proposed military campaign and disagreements between the President and

02:13the Vice President about US plans and intentions would be of obvious interest to foreign intelligence

02:19services, would it not?

02:22Yes.

02:24And they were discussing the timing of sending US air crews into enemy airspace where they

02:35faced an air defense threat, correct?

02:39I'm going to, Senator, defer to the other principles that you're referring to about

02:45what the meaning and the context of what they were on.

02:48The timing of US airstrikes, correct?

02:52Yes, yes.

02:54And therefore, the timing of sending US air crews into hostile airspace, correct?

02:59Yes.

03:00And therefore, the time period during which enemy air defenses could target US air crews

03:06flying in enemy airspace, correct?

03:08I don't know that.

03:09You do know that.

03:10Let me ask this question, General Hawk.

03:11You lead America's signals intelligence collection.

03:16Would the private deliberation of foreign senior officials about the wisdom and timing

03:22of potential military action be a collection priority for you and the US intelligence community?

03:29Senator, it's our job to do indications and warning for both the plans and intentions

03:36of adversary leaders and for military commanders.

03:40And would not information about the timing of airstrikes allow a military to preposition

03:52or cue air defense systems to shoot down enemy aircraft?

03:59I think, Senator, from our perspective, any advance warning is something that we certainly

04:06are trying to protect.

04:08Dr. Ratcliffe, this was a huge mistake, correct?

04:15No.

04:19A national political-

04:20Hold on.

04:21No, no, you hold on.

04:22Let me answer.

04:23No, no, Dr. Ratcliffe.

04:24The answer is the reason I say no.

04:25I asked you a yes or no question, and now you'll hold on.

04:26A national political reporter-

04:28You can characterize it how you want.

04:30Was made privy to sensitive information about imminent military operations against a foreign

04:36terrorist organization.

04:37It was a mistake of adding a reporter to a Zoom.

04:39And that wasn't a huge mistake?

04:41That wasn't a huge mistake?

04:42Well, I think they characterized it as a mistake.

04:43This is an embarrassment.

04:46This is utterly unprofessional.

04:48There's been no apology.

04:50There has been no recognition of the gravity of this error.

04:54And by the way, we will get the full transcript of this chain, and your testimony will be

05:00measured carefully against its content.

05:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:05I thank the witnesses again for their appearance today.

05:08I sense the vice chairman has something to add.

05:11I do.

05:12So I will recognize-

'I Don't Know Jeffrey Goldberg': Ratcliffe Has Tense Exchange With Jon Ossoff Over Leaked War Plans

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