# The specific clusterfuck of discussing war plans over Signal, a consumer cellphone app **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 26, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157 "2025-03-26T21:01:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/21 "2025-03-24T23:44:08Z")
Hegseth’s response to his drunk-texting classified information is “NUH-UH!” > **['Deceitful and highly discredited!' Hegseth lashes out at journalist who got...](https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2671396950/)** > > Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth broke his silence hours after a bombshell report in The Atlantic revealed that he and other top-level Trump administration officials shared classified information via a Signal group chat that included a... ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/22 "2025-03-25T00:17:03Z")
Since I don’t watch TV news, I’ve never seen Pete’s picture before. He really has TV-anchorman hair, doesn’t he? Abundant and wavy. I’ll bet Trump really envies him his hair. Here’s somebody with an opinion: **If Pete Hegseth Had Any Honor, He Would Resign** [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/opinion/atlantic-hegseth-vance-houthis.html?smid=nytcore-android-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/opinion/atlantic-hegseth-vance-houthis.html?smid=nytcore-android-share) Not freaking likely. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/23 "2025-03-25T00:27:15Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Not freaking likely. And very likely only the first of many more fuckups to come. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/24 "2025-03-25T00:54:42Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Good to know that God is still on our side. You know who _else_ thought he had God on his side? It sounded better in its original German. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/WW_II_German_GOTT_MIT_UNS_Buckle_%28Wehrmacht%29.jpg/1024px-WW_II_German_GOTT_MIT_UNS_Buckle_%28Wehrmacht%29.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/WW_II_German_GOTT_MIT_UNS_Buckle_%28Wehrmacht%29.jpg/1024px-WW_II_German_GOTT_MIT_UNS_Buckle_%28Wehrmacht%29.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/25 "2025-03-25T00:57:00Z")
> [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3356): > > I’m just hoping they’ll be more careful with the invasion plans for Greenland and Panama. Of course they’ll screw up the TA-50 requirments for the soldiers sent there. They’ll be dressed for Hawai’i and wondering how it got so damn cold in a land called Green. > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3358): > > I mean, a guy on the ship might have dropped a missile on his foot or something, but no Yemenis could be blamed for that! Dream on! They’ll just do it. Logic be damned! > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3361): > > Not to get way off the rails into woo-woo psychologizing, but these texts make it clear to me how this “administration” is made up of broken people who actually have no idea what love, compassion, family, community, nobility, or responsibility looks or feels like. Yet they’ve been preaching how they’re the party of all of family, etc. Quee Gertrude hit the nail on the head. They protest too much. > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3372): > > He has my thoughts and prayers. Dollars to donuts you’re thinking and praying the same things I am. > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3376): > > Well, we’re pretty much beyond anything “good” happening anywhere near this administration. > > But for whatever unfathomable reason, Trump holds some sort of cult-like sway over a very large number of people. Vance, not so much. With him in charge, yeah, it’d still be a shit-show, but it’d likely be a shit-show with lots more infighting and pushback, which might be a bit less successful at ruining lives and destroying democracy. Remember how the loyal Nazis in 1945 fell in line to adore Karl Dönitz after Dolph blew his brains out? Me neither. That’s because they didn’t. This would be no different. Whatever hold Firxt Felon47 has on the cult will not transfer to Vance. And the Roberts court, as packed as it is, owes him nothing. > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/3380): > > > [@Railer13](#): > > > > Good to know that God is still on our side. > > You know who _else_ thought he had God on his side? > > It sounded better in its original German. Got mittens? Why, yes, I do. But I don’t need to wear them now. The weather over here is rather nice, if a bit windy. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/26 "2025-03-25T04:31:16Z")
You know a situation is dreadful when Pete Buttigieg uses a public F bomb. And he was in the military. > **[Pete Buttigieg: Trump Cabinet's use of Signal app for military ops is...](https://www.advocate.com/politics/pete-buttigieg-trump-signal-security)** > > The former Transportation secretary and Democratic star laid into Trump administration officials. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/27 "2025-03-25T04:35:24Z")
[![](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreifkmcmstdxxgmnuuetgmedtpqj2cpq6jyyep4n6lc6gourva776pu@jpeg) ](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreifkmcmstdxxgmnuuetgmedtpqj2cpq6jyyep4n6lc6gourva776pu@jpeg) You know, I can’t help but feel like there’s someone missing from this group who ought to be involved in deciding to bomb a foreign country. Some sort of presiding member, if you will. Presider? Presidary? Presbyter? I’ll think of it later. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/28 "2025-03-25T04:37:08Z")
The Decider? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/29 "2025-03-25T07:39:16Z")
[![](https://i.imgflip.com/9oj3dy.jpg) ](https://i.imgflip.com/9oj3dy.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/30 "2025-03-25T11:41:41Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Remember how the loyal Nazis in 1945 fell in line to adore Karl Dönitz after Dolph blew his brains out? Me neither. That’s because they didn’t. This would be no different. Whatever hold Firxt Felon47 has on the cult will not transfer to Vance. And the Roberts court, as packed as it is, owes him nothing. I completely agree. We’ve never seen any of the acolytes successfully take the reins. And thank god for that. So yeah, I’ll take Vance of the halfwit. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/31 "2025-03-25T12:16:21Z")
We seem to be getting closer to understanding how that whole “texting US war plans to a journalist” thing came to be in the first place: > A person close to the White House was even more blunt: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: [ed: National Security Adviser] Mike Waltz is a fucking idiot.” And that’ll do it. [**SOURCE**](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/24/mike-waltz-signal-chat-resign-00246541) ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/32 "2025-03-25T12:26:22Z")
Mike Waltz can rightly be blamed for adding Goldberg to the group chat, but that doesn’t excuse Hegseth from transmitting classified over an unapproved means. It also doesn’t excuse anyone else on the chat for not shutting the whole thing down as soon as it became apparent that classified was being shared on Signal. In other words, they’re all fucking idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/33 "2025-03-25T12:27:05Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > The Decider? Decider In Chief, aka the DIC ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/34 "2025-03-25T12:35:09Z")
I think there are 23 categories of Academy Award (“Oscars”) given. I think we can break this one down into any number of valid categories 😉 Also, maybe _this_ is what Trump meant when he promised ‘the most transparent administration ever.’ That puts a pretty fine point on it. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/35 "2025-03-25T14:13:08Z")
I hear Susan Collins is concerned, in addition: [![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/10f41a12-7f86-4573-a777-bb53ad85b9bf) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/10f41a12-7f86-4573-a777-bb53ad85b9bf) ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/36 "2025-03-25T14:15:22Z")
Former Louisiana Senator and known genius Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that this isn’t a big deal because “Americans aren’t losing sleep over this”. **Not sure when that became the legal test for anything.** Good news is that Russians haven’t invested much effort into compromising the Signal app comms /s > **[Signals of Trouble: Multiple Russia-Aligned Threat Actors Actively Targeting...](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/russia-targeting-signal-messenger)** > > Russia state-aligned threat actors target Signal Messenger accounts used by individuals of interest to Russia's intelligence services. AND the Russians have a subscription to The Atlantic! GASP! Text STOP to unsubscribe from war plan updates. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/37 "2025-03-25T14:39:27Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Former Louisiana Senator and known genius Robert F. Kennedy Jr. What. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/38 "2025-03-25T16:17:55Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > What “_Former Louisiana Senator and known genius Robert F. Kennedy Jr_” My mistake, it was another Louisiana Senator Kennedy. Must grow in trees down there. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/39 "2025-03-25T16:47:23Z")
RFK Jr. a was never a senator of any kind, Louisiana or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157/40 "2025-03-25T17:00:22Z")
[John Kennedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kennedy_(Louisiana_politician)) is the gurning idiot Senator from Louisiana. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-specific-clusterfuck-of-discussing-war-plans-over-signal-a-consumer-cellphone-app/1016157.md?page=3)