As a former Naval Intelligence Officer who held a TS/SCI clearance for a decade – Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information – allow me an observation. Senate Democrats are participating in a shameless act of political hypocrisy. Their latest antics take the cake.
Last week, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) – and other Democrats – literally yelled at the Director of National Intelligence, Tuli Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratliff for sharing unclassified thoughts on US military operations involving Yemen over an end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) app, “Signal.”
Democrats then proceeded to demand Mike Walz, the President’s National Security Advisor, also on the encrypted chain, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth be fired. Then, they demanded to know “on what authority” the President granted these high-ranking officials their clearances.
This meltdown, on national television, tells you a lot about modern politics, the desperation and duplicity now taking hold – boldly showcased – by a new, if deeply conflicted, Democrat Party.
Why? Four basic facts make the point. Democrats have lost their way and do not care.
First, while classified information is typically shared inside a SCIF – or Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility – digitally on a classified, closed-loop, “high side” network, or with high-level security protocols, paper, unclassified information is not subject to these same precautions.
Second, the Signal app used by these officials, either on government or non-government devices, is highly encrypted. If hacked or intercepted, decrypting is virtually impossible, although “key compromise” and human error – inclusion of someone not intended – is always possible.
While Signal is not meant for digitally communicating classified information – that is, things at the Confidential, Secret, TS, or SCI levels – it is viewed as “one of the most secure” means for confidential communication “in the world,” according to “leading digital security experts.”
So secure is Signal that some US agencies, such as USAID, actually include Signal in their “secure communication protocols.” Since 2023, the US government has, in fact, relied on Signal for sensitive, unclassified communications. To assert or infer the opposite is not true.
To be more specific, US agencies have authorized two off-the-shelf “third party messaging platforms,” Signal and “Telegram,” as part of “Automated Directives Systems.” (ADS). Whether they should or not is an operational, perhaps also policy, question – but they do and have.
Far from illegal, some agencies expressly authorize these “approved non-official” systems. Similar systems exist, such as “Threema,” “Wire,” “Viber,” and “Wickr,” with “military grade encryption.” No system, of course, is without risk.
Third, Congress is itself notorious for leaking sensitive, sometimes classified information to the press – on occasion deliberately, often recklessly. Congress has not only exempted itself from many laws, including individual privacy protections, but has sometimes been briefed on classified operations, only to turn around and share them with the press.
In that category, countless news stories – domestic and international – come to mind, an egregious one when then-Senator Patrick Lahey (D-VT) and three others were prebriefed by President Reagan on a raid of Libyan targets following a terror attack, swearing all to secrecy. Lahey promptly held a press conference and told the world ahead of time. As a result, two US F-111 pilots were shot down.
Fourth, and here’s the real hypocrisy: Not only does President Trump possess Article II power to grant clearances, but his inner circle – and every intelligence officer – must be vetted. They go through a long, up to 18-month, “full field investigation” – must account for every three-week period in their lives, all foreign travel, foreigners met, and other extensive data – for a TS/SCI clearance.
Congress? No vetting at all. Nothing. Nada, and full access to whatever they ask. So, left-leaning Senators like Wyden, Schumer, Schiff, Murphy, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, Baldwin? Left-leaning members of Congress, like Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, Talib, Jayapal, Raskin, Nadler, and Pingree? They are not required to face ANY investigation to assure intentions, they just get full access.
So, how hypocritical is it … for Senator Wyden, and his high minded Democrat colleagues, to attack President Trump’s power to grant clearances to those facing “full field” investigations, people like NSA Mike Waltz, DNI Tulsa Gabbard, SECDEF Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance, all combat veterans, or John Ratliff, a former federal prosecutor and head of the CIA?
Hypocrisy is seldom so shameless. Modern Democrats are all about it. But this one takes the cake.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).
This just follows the typical pattern of the Democrat Party. Whatever they accuse the conservatives of doing is something they are already doing. They come unglued when somebody does something that they are quite guilty of. They have no Direction they have no brains they have no concept of right and wrong all they can do is point fingers and yell. The Democrat Party of JFK there’s no resemblance to today’s Democrat Party. Today’s Democrat Party is being totally given over to the hard left wing radicals, and as such Democrats will never win another election and will never have any kind of representation suitable for a majority of the citizens of this country. They are lost in the wilderness. They don’t even know what a woman is insured apply the filter if their lips are moving are lying. The Democrat Party has one goal to burn this nation to the ground so they can rule over the ashes. They need to be declared a domestic terrorist organization they literally are the epitome of evil. Prove me wrong
Well RBC, I also held TS/SCI clearance most of my naval career. Every time I changed a duty station; I had to be re-evaluated for my new job before I could be accepted for a new assignment. I agree that members of the US Congress should NOT BE GRANTED ACCESS TO SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE until they are fully investigated properly by authorities. Congress does tend to leak out way too much sensitive information, especially when want to embarrass a political rival. I know some individuals get a clearance and then sell their country down the drain. I remember all too well the Walker family spy ring where major changes came out to help impede future incidents as such. All that remains to be seen is how far the Demos will continue to embarrass themselves.
Have a good weekend.
The fact that none of the representatives and senators in Congress go through background checks for clearances has always been a shock and huge issue to me. National security goes down the toilet when it comes to Congress.
RBC is so right in putting this out there for public knowledge since some in Congress often receive Top Secret briefings when national security is at issue. Leaks do occur and those doing so should be terminated. Congress reminds me of a pig sty, at least all those mentioned in RBC’s write-up plus a few more as well as RINOs.
Congress (House and Senate) Should be vetted in the same manner that the Military is before they have access to ANY Sensitive Intelligence. To be otherwise is asking for leaks and espionage. We have too many questionable politicians to be granting them access without vetting!
Ideas for Security Clearances:
Make Uniform
Vet planned users
EZ to ID etc.
Simplify
for DoD, State, WH, select Cong, Senate comms CIA NSA NSC NRO
Greetings. I remember the process I had to go through in order to be granted a TS/SCI, due to my position. It was not painful, but it did involve an investigation, interview, naming references – possibly a bit shortened due to the fact I already had a Secret clearance. However, I remember reading some years ago an article by a [reputable staffer (do not remember if he was named – only had the word of the journalist who wrote the article, who was reputable)]. If the man was correct, Congress members do not get the same amount of vetting that ‘Joe Smuckatelli’ gets. Apparently Congress members just roll into their positions with little concern how they handle highly sensitive information. The comment about accusing the conservatives of something they are already doing is very insightful. ‘the boy(s) [and girls] who cried wolf!’ It is always easy to follow the crowd, in order NOT to do a reasonably thorough investigation – most (if not all) Democrats must think their constituents are really ignorant. After all of these years, witnessing charlatanism and plain outright RUDE behaviour by Democrats, and then the electorate increasing conservative leadership in positions of authority in government, it would seem people on the liberal side would ‘get it.’ Praying for this nation to keep going in a better direction, as they are starting to do. Thank you. Proverbs 3, v 5 – 6.
So, after reading this article the thought came to mind, a new rule….if you want to run for election to congress, you have to be vetted. Or, after taking office, you have to be vetted to attend any meeting except actual congressional gatherings. Or, if you are going to be part of any committee, you have to be vetted before acceptance. Get the gist of this, let’s start vetting congress, their aides, their interns and the like. I was vetted when I joined the military and had to get clearances of a variety of levels. If I refused to be vetted, I did not get the position. If I breached the clearance, I would face dire consequences. But sometimes things got leaked….and it usually was by some senior level “political” person of rank, who tried to pass the buck down the chain of command. Congress can’t keep their mouth shut on any matter, so leave them out of the loop all together, especially if it involves active military business. And it the press takes this on, and leaks material that is classified or more, I say, JAIL.
I appreciate what you are doing sir. Fair and unbiased dialogue is so important. I am a federal retiree and subscribe to NARF to keep updated on retirement issues. Unfortunately I find them to be so biased they have succeeded in brainwashing many retirees into believing they may lose their retirement and healthcare benefits. Very sad indeed.
Come on. I held a TS clearance in the Navy too. Signal may be “highly encrypted,” but DoD prohibits personnel from using Signal to discuss “non-public” DoD information. The author admits that “Signal is not meant for digitally communicating classified information.” Attack plans aren’t classified? Was Jeffrey Goldberg from the Atlantic granted an Article II security clearance? No. And to say that Congress leaks classified information too is a cop out.
DemoKKKRATS are becoming tiresome! They continue making mountains out of molehills about anything and everything they can to please their equally ignorant constituents and their Enemy Media lapdogs.
The “memo” from Biden administration touting the use of Signal should have immediately been widely distributed. I saw/heard about it from Newsmax but so many Americans still watch the trash MSM. They need to hear the truth, get it out there so much the Dems look even more stupid when they TRY to lie about pretty much everything.
They could not be more pathetic and desperate or smaller than they are. They are trying and not giving up. I am not sure if it is confidence or despair.
Mr Charles, I agree 100% with everything you said, and with everything written of yours that I’ve read in the past. You’re a brilliant writer. But I would like to point out that you misspelled Tulsi Gabbard’s name twice in this article.
Just ignore the fact that a reporter was in this chat. Typical right wing garbage.
Wouldn’t it be appropriate if there was some way to require vetting of the members of Congress before their having access to secure information? Asking for a friend……
Not to be forgetted, hire the Vetted!