Waltz set to take the blame for Signalgate
Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, is set to lose his job over what came to be called Signalgate.
He was the one who set up the 'Houthi PC small group' and either he or a member of his staff in error invited Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, to participate. Goldberg blew the whistle after the raids had taken place.
Others in the group included Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, who obliged with all the operational data such as airstrike timings and particular aircraft to be involved, Vice President JD Vance, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, John Ratcliffe, CIA director, and Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence.
Waltz has been selected to take the wrap. Although Trump initially insisted he had full confidence in Waltz and said he would continue in his job, behind the scenes the mutterings against him were becoming more voluble by the day.
His deputy, Alex Wong, is also leaving the White House.
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The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Defence review to say UK must be ready to fight a war in Europe or Atlantic
Britain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, a strategic defence review will conclude, though it is not expected to promise immediate increases in the size of the armed forces to deal with the threat. The 130-page document will call for a move to 'war-fighting readiness' to deter Russian aggression in Europe and increases in stockpiles of arms and support equipment, some of which may only last days in a crisis. Keir Starmer, the prime minister, will launch the review on Monday, saying the exercise 'will ensure the UK rises to the challenge and our armed forces have the equipment they need' in what ministers say is an increasingly unstable world. But it is not expected to contain any additional spending commitments and the defence secretary, John Healey, acknowledged on Sunday that any plans to increase the size of the British army, at its smallest for 300 years, will have to wait until after the election. Speaking to the BBC, Healey said there had been '15 years of a recruitment and retention crisis in our armed forces' as he acknowledged that the size of the army had fallen to a low 70,860 – below the government's current target of 73,000. The minister conceded that Labour had so far failed to turn the situation around, despite talk that Britain is prepared to participate in a peacekeeping deployment in Ukraine. 'We've still got more people leaving than joining,' he said. 'The first job is to reverse that trend, and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number [of soldiers],' Healey continued, apparently deferring any increase until after an election due in 2029. There had been speculation that Healey had been seeking to secure a commitment to increase the target size of the army to 76,000, though defence sources said that could have cost up to £2.5bn in pay, accommodation and equipment. Though Russia is heavily embroiled in the war in Ukraine, experts believe that if the Kremlin agreed to a ceasefire, it could allow time for a country with an army of more than 600,000 and a militarised economy to threaten other parts of Nato's eastern flank. The three-strong review team, led by Lord Robertson, a former Nato secretary general, has made 62 recommendations, in response to what the team has concluded is 'a new era of threat' from aggressive states such as Russia and drones, artificial intelligence and other new technologies. On Sunday, Ukraine said that it had attacked 40 Russian bombers at airfields deep inside Russia, using remotely piloted one-way attack drones that were hidden in trucks inside Russia until ready to use. Operation Spider's Web was in preparation for 18 months, with relatively cheap drones targeting strategic Russian aviation. It is also expected to conclude: The UK will commit to building 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines at Barrow in Cumbria and Raynesway, Derby, as part of the three-country Aukus programme with the US and Australia. The first submarines will launch in the late 2030s, replacing seven Astute-class submarines, tasked to operate around the world. A total of £15bn will be invested in modernising the production of nuclear weapons at Aldermaston in Berkshire, supporting more than 9,000 jobs as part of a programme to supply bombs for the Dreadnought submarines that will replace the ageing Vanguard boats that carry the Trident deterrent. That Russia poses an 'immediate and pressing' danger posed by Russia while China is a 'sophisticated and persistent challenge' to British interests. Iran and North Korea will be described as 'regional disruptors' and potentially hostile to the UK, with each of the four showing growing signs of being willing to work together. A new volunteer-led Home Guard be created to help protect airports, communications nodes and other parts of Britain's critical national infrastructure from drone and other surprise attacks, freeing up the time of soldiers and specialist police who guard such locations at present. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ministers are also considering whether to restore an air-launched nuclear deterrent by buying F-35A aircraft which have been certified to carry the US B61-12 gravity bomb, which has a maximum explosive yield of 50 kilotons, more than three times the size of the 15kT bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A report in the Sunday Times said the UK was considering buying the F-35A, though any arrangement to deploy B61 nuclear bombs in addition would probably be similar to existing situations in the Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey, where nuclear weapons belonging to the US are stored in bunkers in those countries. Britain is the only big nuclear power that has only one method of delivering a nuclear weapon, from a submarine at sea. But engaging in 'nuclear sharing' with the US would be complex, and would require sensitive negotiations with the Trump administration if it were the path chosen. In Europe, B61 bombs remain US property until there is a deemed to be war. At that point, because non-proliferation rules are then deemed not to apply, 'the host country puts the weapons on their planes and sets off with them,' according to Dave Cullen, a nuclear expert at the Basic thinktank. Healey declined to comment on air-launched nuclear weapons on Sunday, and no announcement is expected on the issue shortly. The minister instead reiterated the value of Trident. 'For over 70 years, our UK nuclear deterrent has been the ultimate guarantee of security in this country. It's what Putin fears most,' he told the BBC. The defence review is not expected to announce any immediate increase in defence budgets, beyond a commitment to lift spending by about £5bn to 2.5% of GDP in 2027 and to 3% in the next parliament. But Starmer and other Nato leaders are expected to discuss and agree fresh spending targets at a summit in The Hague later this month, of about 5% of GDP, of which 3.5% will be on military spending and the rest on cyberdefence and other infrastructure.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Former CIA intelligence officer lifts lid on why the next 007 should still be played by a man
A former CIA intelligence officer has revealed why she thinks the next agent 007 should not be a woman. Since the release of No Time to Die in 2021, rumors have swirled about who will play the next James Bond, and the conversations are heating up again now that producer Barbara Broccoli and producer-writer Michael G Wilson sold the franchise to Amazon. Will 007 remain British? What race will the new iconic spy be? And could Bond be a woman? Christina said: 'As a former CIA intelligence officer - and a woman - myself, people naturally assume I'm in favor of a female Bond. Imagine their surprise when they learn I'm not. 'It's no secret that espionage has long been a 'man's world' - the disparities in pay and position between men and women at the CIA were documented as early as 1953, around the same time Ian Fleming first introduced us to the suave, womanizing spy in his novel Casino Royale. 'The Bond world Fleming created largely reflected this male-centric reality, its female characters relegated to seemingly less important roles behind a typewriter or at the British spy's side as his far less capable companion. And don't get me started on their scandalous attire and sexual innuendo-filled names.' Christina went on: 'The reality at the CIA was that women donned sensible skirts with pantyhose - pants weren't permitted - and wore crisp, white gloves. 'Despite having both the skill and desire to work in clandestine operations, women served in positions that 'better suited' their abilities - think secretaries, librarians and file clerks. 'Many even began their espionage careers as unpaid 'CIA wives', providing secretarial and administrative support to field stations. It was an undoubtedly clever, yet misogynistic, strategy in which the agency leveraged male case officers' highly educated spouses for free labor.' In 1975, Peterson became the first female case officer to operate in Moscow, only after turning down the CIA's initial offer to become an entry-level secretary. After months of operating freely in one of the harshest counterintelligence environments - women were largely able to go undetected as enemies didn't expect them to carry out plans - Peterson's world changed. She was accosted by nearly two dozen KGB officers who she said forced her into a van and off to Lubyanka prison for interrogation. Peterson didn't break under their questioning, and was released after several hours with strict orders to leave the country and never return. Her male managers accused her of failing to spot a surveillance team on her, a cardinal sin in espionage. Peterson shouldered that blame for seven years until it was revealed that the asset was compromised by double agents working for both the CIA and the Czech intelligence service. She could finally rest easy knowing she wasn't to blame for the arrest of that most important Moscow asset. It was thanks to her bravery that the asset was able to boldly choose his own fate, rather than be subjected to whatever punishment the KGB had in mind for him. Christina added: Around that time, more women were conducting clandestine operations - and they were good at it. Really good. This should have come as no surprise, given that women had already operated in this capacity unofficially for decades. 'Even so, women had to fight for the best cases that traditionally went to male counterparts, and despite repeated operational successes, the mostly male managers still doubted their clandestine capabilities. 'The same stereotypes meant women were equally underestimated by the enemy - a situation we continue to take full advantage of even today, allowing us to go unnoticed in some of the most dangerous environments in the world.' Across the Atlantic, women in the UK have also been key players in the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Kathleen Pettigrew, for example, served as the personal assistant to not one but three MI6 chiefs. In her book, Her Secret Service, author and historian Claire Hubbard-Hall describes the forgotten women of British Intelligence as 'the true custodians of the secret world', whose contributions largely remain shrouded in mystery, while men's are often cemented in our collective memory thanks to their self-aggrandizing memoirs. It's taken every bit of the past 70-plus years to somewhat level the playing field for real women in espionage, so one might argue that it's about time for a female James Bond. The former CIA intelligence officer added: 'Certainly, women are capable - a history of successful female intelligence officers from both sides of the pond already proves that. But what if it's not a question of whether she's able to believably pull off the role but whether that's something viewers, especially women, actually want?' Broccoli didn't seem to think so. 'I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that,' Broccoli told Variety in 2020. 'Perhaps she knew something the rest of us didn't - or something we just weren't ready to admit: Women don't want to be James Bond. Not because we're content as his sexy sidekick, but because we want our own spy,' Christina said. Rumors: Stars tipped to be the new Bond have included Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Theo James (right) However, Christina went on: 'The success of shows like Netflix's Black Doves and Paramount's Lioness suggest a female-led spy thriller isn't just palatable for audiences - it's satisfying a hunger for something new: a unique spy character created specifically for a woman. 'And while we're at it, let's make her more capable than Bond. After all, that reflects the reality on the ground. 'The best spies are those who operate in the shadows and avoid romantic entanglements with their adversaries - the antithesis of James Bond. Spies who are unassuming and underestimated. Delivering poison right under the noses of our greatest adversaries. Spies who are, dare I say, women?'
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Trump pardons drive a big, burgeoning business for lobbyists
Seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump has become big business for lobbying and consulting firms close to the administration, with wealthy hopefuls willing to spend millions of dollars for help getting their case in front of the right people. 'From a lobbying perspective, pardons have gotten profitable,' said one lobbyist whose firm has received such calls. There's no set rate for pardon help. But two people directly familiar with proposals to lobbying firms said they knew of a client's offer of $5 million to help get a case to Trump. These people, like others, were granted anonymity to speak candidly. And while such high numbers do not seem to be standard, they speak to a burgeoning pardon economy. A $5 million figure is higher than numbers The New York Times reported Trump allies receiving for pardon help in his first term. In 2021, the outlet reported that Brett Tolman, a former federal prosecutor who advised the White House on pardons, was receiving five-figure amounts for the work, according to filings and a client. The Times also reported that John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer convicted of disclosing classified information, was told that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump ally, could help secure him a pardon for $2 million; Giuliani disputed that account. Cozying up to a president's allies or hiring lobbyists to gain access to clemency isn't new. But along with the price spike, what's different now is that Trump is issuing pardons on a rolling basis — rather than most coming at the end of the administration. 'It's like the Wild West,' a Trump ally and lobbyist said. 'You can basically charge whatever you want.' The increased use of the pardon power has some familiar with the process concerned about the appearance of financial and political favoritism that can erode confidence in the clemency process. 'This is very destructive to our justice system. It delegitimizes the pardon power,' said Elizabeth Oyer, who served as pardon attorney for the Department of Justice during President Joe Biden's administration. 'It entrenches a two-tier system of justice in which wealth really can be a get-out-of-jail-free card.' 'All pardon and commutation decisions are solely made by President Trump, who is always willing to give well-deserving Americans a second chance — especially those who have been unfairly targeted by a corrupt justice system,' White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. Since Trump took office in January, he has pardoned or granted executive clemency to more than 1,500 people, most related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It's a significant uptick from a similar time frame during his first term in office. Even without the Jan. 6 defendants, Trump has pardoned 58 people; in his previous administration, Trump had pardoned just one person in his first year. In the past week alone, Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of 27 people. Many clemency recipients have been people with the means to elevate their case — allies, donors, celebrities and former politicians. There is a process for vetting pardon applications through the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, but presidents have not always followed it. Some of the pardons Trump is granting, involving people currently incarcerated, would not be able to make it through the typical process. Unless the Justice Department grants a waiver, the regulations say that petitioners need to wait until five years after either the conviction or the end of their sentence, and they place a premium on acceptance of responsibility. As of this week, there are 6,394 applications for commutations and 1,529 applications for pardons. Not every Trump-aligned lobbyist is eager to take pardon work; some who have turned down offers said they have passed them along to a small handful of Trump supporters who then help the pardon-seeker get on the president's radar. In some cases, referral fees are paid to the lobbying firms even if they are not directly engaged to do the work, according to three people familiar with the process. 'There are others, like us, who have turned down a bunch of that work, but generally the way that works is that they get referred to others who are helping,' said a Washington-based lobbyist whose firm has been approached by people seeking a pardon. The person said that roughly half their client inquiries in recent months have been for pardon help. In the past, it was roughly 1 in 50 client solicitations. The Trump ally who is also a lobbyist said their firm is not taking pardon clients out of concern that they could face blowback when the political winds inevitably change. Another lobbyist said they turn down pardon work because it feels 'sketchy.' Getting in front of the right people In a case that drew significant attention this week, Trump pardoned reality-TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted in 2022 on fraud and tax evasion-related charges. The two built a national following through their reality show 'Chrisley Knows Best.' The pardons came after a public pressure campaign led by their daughter Savannah, a prominent Trump supporter with nearly 3 million followers on Instagram. Key to reaching Trump is pushing a message that will appeal to the president, particularly one around a politicization of justice by Democrats or overzealous prosecutors. 'Weaponization is real,' said Tolman, who is now a Fox News contributor and the executive director of the conservative-leaning criminal justice reform group Right on Crime. 'If you are in power and you are willing to use the power of the prosecution to go after your political adversaries, how do we fix it?' His comments came during a 2024 panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference focused on the 'weaponization' of the justice system. The panel also included now-Attorney General Pam Bondi and Savannah Chrisley, who used the platform to talk about her parents' case. Tolman has become one of the go-tos for help when people are seeking Trump pardons. He helped the Chrisleys, as well as Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. At the end of Trump's first term, he also lobbied Trump to pardon Ross Ulbricht, who in 2015 was sentenced to life in prison on narcotics and money-laundering charges related to his dark web marketplace Silk Road. Getting Ulbricht out of prison became a cause célèbre to many on the political right who thought he was unjustly targeted by the justice system. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to pardon Ulbricht, and he did so as one of his first acts after taking office. Tolman did not respond to a request seeking comment. Other Trump allies who have played influential roles in the pardon process over the past few weeks include Washington attorney Adam Katz, who previously represented Giuliani and helped secure a sentence commutation for a California businesswoman in Trump's first term. Katz did not return a request seeking comment, but lobbyists interviewed by NBC News named him, along with Tolman, as two of the people to whom they refer pardon work. Corcoran Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm whose managing partner includes Matt Blair, the brother of Trump deputy chief of staff James Blair, has also registered to lobby on federal pardon issues for the first time. In March, Matt Blair's firm registered to lobby on 'pardon' issues for Juno Empire Inc., a Miami-based company that is identified in federal lobbying records as a 'medical billing advocate.' It's not clear what this company does or what its issue is, and there was no contact information available for Juno. Corcoran Partners did not return a request for comment. Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone also registered in February to lobby for Roger Ver, who is nicknamed ' Bitcoin Jesus ' and, if extradited from Spain, faces up to 109 years in prison for, among other things, allegations that he tried to evade nearly $50 million in tax payments. It's the first time Stone's firm, Drake Ventures, formally registered to lobby on pardon issues, records show. An attorney for Ver did not return a request for comment. Some lawyers also see new hope for their clients in Trump's willingness to issue pardons. Tim Parlatore, a former member of Trump's legal team, represented Adm. Robert Burke, who was convicted in May of bribery. Parlatore told NBC News that he had unsuccessfully attempted to get Justice Department leadership to reconsider the Burke case before it went to trial, and that he'd try to secure a pardon now that Burke has been convicted. 'I think I have a great appeal for Burke, but will I go and ask for a pardon? Absolutely! You'd be crazy not to,' he said. 'The way that that case was investigated and presented, I believe, was fundamentally unfair.' Parlatore said he wanted to 'pursue all possible remedies' for his client. 'I'll go to call people and try to figure this thing out, whether it's Ed Martin, Alice Johnson,' he said, referring to Trump's pardon attorney and his more informal 'pardon czar.' 'I just want to make sure that that gets in front of the right people to make a decision.' 'Easier after Hunter's pardon' The president's pardon power, a vestige of the British monarchy, is largely unchecked. Trump isn't the first person to face criticism for controversial pardons. But the perception that Trump is leaning into rewarding supporters was boosted last week when Martin, Trump's current pardon attorney, openly signaled the political motivations for the pardon given to Scott Jenkins. The former Virginia sheriff was facing 10 years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of taking $75,000 in return for doling out law enforcement authority to local businessmen, as well as two undercover FBI special agents. 'No MAGA left behind,' Martin posted on X after the pardon was announced. One staffer familiar with the pardon process said Martin and the administration were trying to 'undo the damage from weaponization,' often choosing to pardon people they felt were unfairly targeted. 'You have a president who's going to exercise his presidential powers that he has from the Constitution, whether or not there's some guidebook,' they said. 'He does it on trade, he does it on immigration, and he does it everywhere.' That staffer and other Trump allies argue that it was Biden's use of the power that has set the precedent under which they are currently operating. Biden pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 8,000 people, including to his son Hunter, who was set to be sentenced on federal gun charges just weeks before the pardon was issued. On the way out of office, he also issued pre-emptive pardons for some members of his family, worried Trump would try to prosecute them. An administration official called Biden's pardon decisions an 'absolutely earth-shattering departure from presidential norms.' Trump supporters argue the potential hit to a president's reputation that previously existed for the perception of politicizing the clemency process is no longer there. 'It's become easier after Hunter's pardon. Long gone are the days of an eleventh-hour pardon. It has become more transactional,' the Trump ally and lobbyist said. Beyond increased payments to lobbying firms to help secure pardons, family members of those seeking pardons have also found it useful to amplify their platform by going on conservative media outlets that Trump is known to watch or appear in MAGA-friendly spaces. Savannah Chrisley, for example, spoke at the Republican National Convention and suggested her parents were targeted for being conservative. During a press conference Friday, she said it was a 'misconception' that she 'either paid for a pardon or slept for a pardon' for her parents. She said she simply went to Washington and made sure she was in 'the right room at the right time' and 'begged for meetings.' 'Many people have come on my OAN program to make their case for pardons,' former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who became a news anchor for One America News Network after Trump unsuccessfully tried to install him as attorney general, told NBC News. 'Some have not. Some might get granted in the future. I trust President Trump's judgment.' Gaetz says he himself has not officially focused on pardon work but said his show, like others, can help amplify a pardon-seeker's case. 'I've covered pardons as a journalist,' he said. 'One way people get on the pardon radar is coming on my show and making their case on other media President Trump is known to watch.'
