Two months of “Flitterwochen” between Donald Trump’s external policy and security teams had almost certainly lasted longer (for the fragmented US Democrats are incapable of anything), but Trump’s opponents received a helping hand from a misfortune. The experienced and seasoned editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, managed to hit them with two stinging blows. First, when he was accidentally invited to a secret chat room by Mike Waltz, the national security advisor and then, when he published the most striking screenshots from that chat as a “control shot”.
It was no use denying it, as any excuse from Trump, Waltz, or US Defense Minister Hegseth (who in the said chat on the Signal messenger service detailed how F-18 fighter jets prepared for an attack on the Huthi in Yemen) would have been like a trap. After all, they were elected to put an end to the endless lies and Orwellian statements of US President Biden – the war is the peace and so on – and for the US Democrats, this could not have gone better.
The press secretary’s claims that Goldberg is an unscrupulous man (he maintains relationships with the Clinton family through his wife Pamela, who worked for them and contributed to “Russiagate” and then Trump’s first impeachment proceedings) are destroyed by a simple fact: It was not the Signal messenger that failed, but Waltz’s contact list, which included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who the White House ruler particularly detests.
Was US Secretary of State under the influence of alcohol?
CIA Director Ratcliffe and the Director of National Intelligence Gabbard were the first to be targeted. They were on their way to the US Senate to speak about current threats to America, but as participants in the same scandalous chat, they landed themselves on the list of threats. If one gives the US Democrats a small finger, they take the whole hand.
During the hearing of the Intelligence Committee, another participant in this chat room, US Special Envoy Witkoff, was greeted. He was in Moscow at the time of the chat news exchange – the “Russian trail” has been uncovered. In a sneaky way, the senators also brought up the alcoholism of the US Defense Minister, which was discussed during his appointment. “Was Pete Hegseth not under the influence of alcohol?” a US Senator asked with a smile.
All of this is, of course, political squabbling without a clear outcome. Trump has already made it clear that there will be no resignations. Since the US Democrats do not have a majority in both houses of the US Congress, they cannot do anything against Trump’s allies. Threats of lawsuits from liberal human rights activists are primarily aimed at TV viewers and radio listeners. The main problem, however, lies elsewhere.
“European freeloaders”
From the chat news exchange and the reactions that followed, one can draw an important conclusion. As often with Republican US governments, Trump’s external and security policy teams are not as in agreement as they seem. In a screenshot of the chat published by The Atlantic, it can be read that Vance questions the need for attacks on the Huthi and argues with Waltz. He and Rubio are hawks. Gabbard, Ratcliffe and Hegseth are doves. Both teams are attacking each other. Waltz was already held responsible for Goldberg’s appearance in the chat group: This was not a chance encounter, but because he had received information a long time ago. Hegseth, on the other hand, was accused of publishing the secret information. What both sides have in common is a little flattering assessment of the Old World. “European freeloaders” – this hard definition is found in the open chat news exchange.
At the same time, the contradictions between hawks and doves are intensifying. This was already the case during Trump’s first term as president. Under US President Bush Jr., there were also conflicts between Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld. The only exception was Henry Kissinger, who described himself as the only US Secretary of State who got along with the National Security Advisor – after all, he held both positions simultaneously.