Illinois lawmakers slam Trump admin officials for group chat leak
'A serious mistake': Illinois lawmakers react to Hegseth war plans controversy
Illinois lawmakers are weighing in on the report that Pete Hegseth shared war plans over the Signal app and that a magazine editor was mistakenly included in the chat.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Illinois members of Congress slammed the Trump administration officials involved in the accidental leak of plans for a military attack on Houthis in Yemen to a journalist at The Atlantic magazine.
At least one local lawmaker called on multiple high-ranking members of the Trump administration to resign after The Atlantic published excerpts of the Signal group chat on Wednesday.
‘Incompetence and sloppiness’
What they're saying:
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D) released a strongly-worded statement calling out Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth for reportedly disclosing attack plans on the group chat.
"Pete Hegseth is a f***ing liar," she said. "This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could’ve gotten our pilots killed. He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.
"Hegseth and every other official who was included in this group chat must be subject to an independent investigation. If Republicans won’t join us in holding the Trump Administration accountable, then they are complicit in this dangerous and likely criminal breach of our national security."
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D), who represents parts of Chicago’s west and southwest suburbs, said Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Walz, Sec. of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and others should resign.
"We are now seeing the consequences of what happens when inexperienced and unqualified individuals are put in charge of our national security. Starting an unsecured group chat on potentially unsecured personal devices to discuss strategy and timing of a US military operation is in itself a scandal. To do so while also adding unknown people to the group is a mark of incompetence and sloppiness that is disqualifying for a junior officer, much less Cabinet officials. To then lie to Congress under oath about the nature of those disclosures shows the contempt that these individuals hold for our democracy itself," Casten said in a statement.
He added, "Those actions would be a fireable offense if committed by any junior employee at the Departments of State, Defense, CIA, NSA, or Vice President’s office. If the leaders are not held to the same standard, the rot will spread."
Casten said President Trump should allow an investigation into the leak, review security protocols, and reassure allies to restore trust.
"Anything short of that would mark the President and his leadership team as incompetent, treasonous, or both," Casten said. "And if that sounds politically impractical, it is only because the rot is so widely spread around the President, his cabinet, and his enablers."
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) said he believed that Gabbard and Ratcliffe "intentionally misled" Congress during a hearing on Tuesday during which they were questioned about the leak.
"It is outrageous to suggest that what was shared on this Signal text chain was not classified material," Durbin said in a statement. "We are talking about an attack on another country and the possible endangerment of the men and women in the United States’ military. This is a serious life and death matter and should be treated as such."
Durbin also said the matter must be investigated by the Department of Justice.