Sen. Mark Kelly rips Defense secretary for sharing confidential military plans via Signal

Sen. Mark Kelly added his voice to the chorus of Democratic complaints on Capitol Hill to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing confidential plans for a military operation in an unsecured group chat that included a journalist.

The chat on the messaging service Signal divulged American strikes on Iranian-aligned Yemeni rebels two hours before they happened on March 15. Hegseth’s messages went to a group that included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, who wrote about the matter on Monday.

“The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” Goldberg wrote for the magazine. The group chat included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The White House largely confirmed Goldberg’s account of the attack on Houthi targets in Sana, Yemen.

Kelly, D-Ariz., who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, offered a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration over the conduct of Hegseth, whom Kelly painted as unsuited for his position during confirmation hearings.

Written as an all-capital letters “notice to White House staff,” Kelly said Monday:

“There is a room in the building and secure systems where you are supposed to have these discussions. SIGNAL ain’t it. Your recklessness put the lives of those pilots at risk. You got lucky! Time to reevaluate the way you are doing things.”

A spokesperson for the National Security Council provided a statement to the New York Times that acknowledged an evident breach of protocol.

“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” the Times said.

Kelly was only part of the Democratic contingent who expressed dismay over the lapse in security.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top ranking Democrat on the committee, said he wanted answers on a reckless mistake.

“If true, this story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen,” Reed said in a statement. “Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line. The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., had a similar reaction.

“This is an inexcusable failure that has weakened our national security and put American lives at risk,” she said. “Congress needs to immediately hold hearings in order to get answers about how such a thing can happen, and we must hold those involved accountable for this major national security breach.”

Senate Republicans on the committee, meanwhile, were silent.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., had a social media post noting that the election provided Trump a mandate to take action on border security and combating inflation.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., reiterated his support for loosening banking regulations that former President Joe Biden tightened, saying, “price caps on banking services would drive up costs for every American while destroying access to credit.”

Republicans on the committee have expressed their concerns with the Trump administration on other fronts.

GOP members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees pushed back last week at reports that the Trump administration was considering an operational overhaul that would see the U.S. pull back as the supreme leader of NATO forces allied against potential Russian aggression against its member nations.

“We support President Trump’s efforts to ensure our allies and partners increase their contributions to strengthen our alliance structure, and we support continuing America’s leadership abroad,” the Republican committee chairs said in a joint statement.

“As such, we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress.”

In January, Kelly pressed Hegseth on his qualifications to head the Pentagon after years with veterans-themed nonprofit organizations and a stint as a commentator for Fox News.

“The Secretary of Defense is one of the most important roles for keeping our country safe and we need someone who is ready to step into the job and succeed on day one,” Kelly said in explaining his opposition to Hegseth.

“Pete Hegseth doesn’t bring the kind of experience that prepares someone to do this massive job, and he was unable to answer direct questions at his hearing about concerning personal issues.”