US Signals uncomfortable truths

Donald Trump is being less than frank with Americans and US allies if he really believes his top security and intelligence advisers’ discussion of highly sensitive military operations in Yemen on the encrypted Signal messaging app amounts to no more than a glitch. Even without the unintended presence of The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, the link-up – which involved, among others, US Vice-President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA director John Ratcliffe – had potential as a security disaster.

Signal may be more secure than WhatsApp but that does not mean the non-governmental messaging service is impenetrable, potentially by Russia and China among other bad actors. Part of what has been labelled the “real security scandal” surrounding the astonishing security breach is that the Signal discussion included Mr Trump’s long-time golf buddy turned top adviser on the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, billionaire property developer Steve Witkoff. He was in Moscow taking part in the Signal messaging. As The Wall Street Journal noted: “This is security malpractice. Russian intelligence services must be listening to Mr Witkoff’s every eyebrow flutter.”

No less alarming is how on earth Goldberg found himself included in a top-secret planning session for an imminent attack on the Houthi terrorists ordered by Mr Trump. Incredibly, none of the top security experts involved apparently had the nous to check the identity of each participant. It would be hard to believe other than that the naive ineptitude displayed in the link-up must have delighted Moscow and Beijing.

Amid the security and intelligence breaches was a clear message for Europeans and friends elsewhere what officials at the top of the Trump administration really think about the nature of US relations even with close allies. Mr Trump should not be surprised if, after the Signal app debacle, some US allies conclude they may find it hard to trust the US in a future crisis.