Washington Merry-Go-Round

IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1 April 2025
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND
Today’s Events in Historical Perspective
America’s Longest-Running Column Founded 1932
He sent in the clowns
By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift         
 
WASHINGTON – President Trump sent in the clowns, and the circus has begun with the most unqualified, incompetent, inexperienced, immature group of presidential toadies ever to populate the highest levels of the nation’s national security apparatus. As one comedic observer put it, “All Trump’s appointments are good except for most of them.” And now they have proved their unworth by casually discussing details of an impending military operation over Signal, an unclassified chat thread.
Confirming itself as the red herring administration, the responses to this high level security breach addressed everything except the issue at hand, claiming the military strike went as planned, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton communicated on her cellphone, and Signal was already on their personal cellphones (which are not to be used for secret communications).
It all started when a journalist was mistakenly invited to join the chat thread with top administration officials to discuss a planned military attack on a terrorist group in Yemen, the Houthis, that would begin in two hours.
Atlantic Magazine editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg was skeptical. He thought it might be a scam, but as he sat in his car in a Safeway parking lot, Defense Secretary Hegseth said a human target would be right where they planned, visiting his girlfriend’s home. He went on to describe the munitions, equipment, and timing of the operation.
 And as though they were playing video games, the group exchanged congratulatory emojis for all on the call to see.
 Goldberg recorded the extraordinary event, which was fortuitous because Hegseth and others, including the President, cast doubt on his journalistic integrity. Without the recording, it would have been his word versus theirs.
Trump called him a “sleazebag,” and said his magazine was “failing.” Neither is true.
The White House red herring defense having failed, they attempted to convince the public with the old are you going to believe what you see or what we are telling you argument. So, the Atlantic released the transcript, and The New York Times published the lies next to the truth.
Despite this, the new line of defense was to disclaim the obvious: Hegseth said no secrets were discussed, a blatant lie that only made matters worse.
Trump denied all knowledge. He did not even know what Signal was, but most disturbing to him was that his National Security Advisor Waltz had Goldberg’s number on his cellphone, presumably because it indicated a possible conduit for leaks.
The National Review called for Hegseth’s resignation. The Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, said there should be an investigation. The Republican leader in the Senate was not happy over national security leaks.
Further, the ramifications of the Trump team’s cavalier attitude toward state secrets has shaken the confidence of our traditional allies in American leadership.
However, Trump has said no one will be punished or fired. Perhaps. He is not known for loyalty to subordinates.
So, we have arrived at a watershed moment. Will Trump act. Will the Senate act? The House will not. Will the ongoing circus simply introduce a new act to obscure the Signal chat fiasco? Or – will the fiasco mark the beginning of an awakened Republican-controlled Senate that questions and even defies Trump. Already Republican senators are breaking with the president over tariffs and Ukraine.
The circus tent just may be on fire.
 
See Eleanor Clift’s book Selecting a President, and Douglas Cohn’s latest books The President’s First Year: The Only School for Presidents Is the Presidency and World War 4: Nine Scenarios (endorsed by seven flag officers).
              Twitter:  @douglas_cohn
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END WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND