Trump blasts 'witch hunt' as Yemen chat scandal mounts

Trump blasts 'witch hunt' as Yemen chat scandal mounts

Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office after signing an order to enact sweeping tariffs on car imports

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed a scandal over leaked plans for Yemen air strikes as a "witch hunt" and defended his embattled Pentagon chief amid calls by Democrats for him to quit.

Republican Trump lashed out after the Atlantic Magazine published the transcript of messages accidentally shared with its editor in a chat group of senior US officials on Signal, a commercially available messaging app.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed details in the chat including the times of strikes on Iran-backed Huthi rebels and the type of aircraft, missiles and drones used, before the attacks actually happened, the Atlantic said.

"Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this," Trump said when asked by AFP in the Oval Office whether Hegseth should consider his position over the scandal.

"How do you bring Hegseth into this? Look, look it's all a witch hunt," added Trump, who was taking questions after announcing new tariffs on foreign-made cars.

Trump repeated his insistence that no classified information was shared in the breach, and added that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz "took responsibility" for the error.

It was Waltz who mistakenly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat, sparking what has been dubbed "Signalgate" in the biggest scandal since Trump returned to power in January.

- 'Resign in disgrace' -

The magazine initially withheld the details of the attack plans, but finally published them on Thursday after White House had insisted that no classified details were involved and attacked Goldberg as a liar.

The White House and a string of officials involved in the chat lined up to try to downplay the story as the pressure mounted.

Hegseth, visiting Hawaii, himself said the exchange on March 15 involved "No names. No targets."

US Vice President JD Vance, who fired a rifle on a shooting range while visiting a Marines base near Washington, said the Atlantic had "overplayed" what happened.

Only Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that there had been a "big mistake," while highlighting his own limited role.

Democrats have trained much of their fire on Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor and veteran.

"The secretary of defense should be fired immediately if he's not man enough to own up to his mistakes and resign in disgrace," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth said Trump should sack all the officials in the chat and called Hegseth a "liar" who "could've gotten our pilots killed."

Meanwhile Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was seeking an independent report from the Trump administration.

- 'Anti-Trump hater' -

The Atlantic said the texting was done barely half an hour before the first US warplanes took off to hit the Huthis on March 15 -- and two hours before the first target was expected to be bombed.

"1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)", Hegseth writes, referring to US Navy jet fighters, before adding that "Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME."

"1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier 'Trigger Based' targets)."

Hegseth wrote also writes about the use of US drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target "walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed."

Peppered with questions at a daily press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Goldberg as an "anti-Trump hater."

Elon Musk, the billionaire running a huge government cost-cutting drive for Trump, had offered "technical experts" to find out how he was added to the chat, she added.

Trump's comments came as Huthi media said late Wednesday that new US strikes had hit the rebel-held capital Sanaa, after earlier reporting 19 American raids elsewhere in  Yemen. 

His administration has stepped up attacks on the Huthi rebels in response to constant attempts to sink and disrupt shipping through the strategic Red Sea. 

The Huthis claim they are acting in solidarity with Gaza amid Hamas's war on Israel.

dk/des

Originally published as Trump blasts 'witch hunt' as Yemen chat scandal mounts