Another aspect of the Signal chat mess that I failed to. discuss in my previous post, is the specific conduct of the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of Central Intelligence. In their sworn testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director Gabbard and Director Ratcliffe continued to insist that no classified information was included as part of this chat string. When they were pressed by Senators who asked whether mission timing and weapons systems were included in the chat, they responded that they could not remember.
There are two possible ways to interpret these responses. The first is that they were lying. This interpretation suggests that they knew that these matters were discussed in the chat, but that acknowledging this would undermine their “no classified information” claims. So, they lied under oath.
The second interpretation is, perhaps, more charitable. They were telling the truth. They could not remember the content of the chats. The chats took place 11-15 March 2025. Their testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committe took place on 25 March 2025 .
I am an older man (88). I have short term memory problems. We are, therefore, fortunate that I no longer have any connection with the intelligence community. However, Director Gabbard is 43, and Director Ratcliffe is 59. If they cannot remember the content of any electronic meeting ten days after the event, should they be in charge of our intelligence operations?
No matter which interpretation one chooses, it is clear that these individuals are not qualified to continue in their current positions. However, many of us knew that at the time of their nomination.
