Most members of Congress, including Republicans, are concerned about the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive materials. A new survey of senior staff on Capitol Hill from Punchbowl News found 76% said their boss is worried.
Breaking it down by party, 100% of Democrats said they’re concerned, in addition to 52% of Republicans.
When was the survey conducted?
The survey began April 7, two weeks after The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added him to a Signal group chat in which cabinet members discussed the political implications and attack plans for air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. They concluded the survey on April 28, three days before Waltz was removed as national security adviser and nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
What do lawmakers think of ‘Signalgate?’
Lawmakers didn’t see that coming. When asked “What do you think will happen as a result of the Signal chat scandal,” 59% said nothing, 21% said Waltz is likely to be fired, and 9% said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is likely to be fired.
84% of respondents said their bosses are concerned about Goldberg being added to the chat, including 98% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans.
The staffers also didn’t think Congress would do anything about the incident, which has become known as “Signalgate.” Just 5% said Congress will pass new laws regarding handling of classified documents and 25% said Congress will open an investigation.
Republicans control Congress so that means they decide whether to open an investigation and what the scope would be.
