Latest news with #Signalgate
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senior Pentagon adviser, who alleged colleague called the cops on him, fired by Pete Hegseth
A senior Pentagon staffer and adviser to Pete Hegseth has been ousted, marking at least the sixth person under the Defense Secretary to quit within his first six months in office, according to reports. Justin Fulcher, who recently made headlines after accusing a colleague of calling the Pentagon police on him, will no longer serve as a senior adviser to Hegseth, three sources told CBS News Saturday. Fulcher began at the Defense Department working under Elon Musk's DOGE before he was promoted in April to serve as a senior adviser to Hegseth, the Washington Post reported. At the time, Fulcher, along with several other aides to Hegseth, joined a new Defense Department leadership team created in the wake of Signalgate, where top officials gave The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg a front-row seat as they discussed impending strikes on Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Fulcher made headlines earlier this month, after a Washington Post report revealed he allegedly stormed out of a meeting and complained to his boss, Hegseth, that Yinon Weiss, Elon Musk's pick to lead DOGE, had reported him to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Justin Fulcher, a senior Pentagon staffer and adviser to Pete Hegseth, has been ousted from the role, six months after the former Fox News personality took office. (Getty Images / @JustinFulcher X) Since January, at least six of Hegseth's top advisers have left the department, according to the Post. The former Fox News personality entered the role with little prior experience and has drawn criticism for his early missteps. Meanwhile, Fulcher, who previously ran a telehealth startup that went bankrupt, seemingly overstated his credentials before he was hired to work at DOGE, including claiming a doctorate in international relations and affairs from Johns Hopkins, according to a Forbes report from earlier this year. In a statement to the Post, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said it was 'not fair' to characterize Fulcher's departure as a firing and called him a 'great guy.' The Defense Department released a statement on behalf of Fulcher that read: "As planned, I've completed 6 months of service in government to my country. Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense has been incredibly inspiring. "Revitalizing the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence are just some of the historic accomplishments I'm proud to have witnessed. Still, this is just the beginning. "None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth's decisive leadership or President Trump's continued confidence in our team. "I'm grateful to both, and to the extraordinary civilians and service members who turn vision into action every day. "I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors and remain impressed by the work of the Department of Defense." In a text message to the Post, Fulcher reiterated that his departure was 'perfectly amicable' and that he had only planned to work there for six months.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Senior Pentagon adviser, who alleged colleague called the cops on him, fired by Pete Hegseth
A senior Pentagon staffer and adviser to Pete Hegseth has been ousted, marking at least the sixth person under the Defense Secretary to quit within his first six months in office, according to reports. Justin Fulcher, who recently made headlines after accusing a colleague of calling the Pentagon police on him, will no longer serve as a senior adviser to Hegseth, three sources told CBS News Saturday. Fulcher began at the Defense Department working under Elon Musk's DOGE before he was promoted in April to serve as a senior adviser to Hegseth, the Washington Post reported. At the time, Fulcher, along with several other aides to Hegseth, joined a new Defense Department leadership team created in the wake of Signalgate, where top officials gave The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg a front-row seat as they discussed impending strikes on Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Fulcher made headlines earlier this month, after a Washington Post report revealed he allegedly stormed out of a meeting and complained to his boss, Hegseth, that Yinon Weiss, Elon Musk's pick to lead DOGE, had reported him to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Since January, at least six of Hegseth's top advisers have left the department, according to the Post. The former Fox News personality entered the role with little prior experience and has drawn criticism for his early missteps. Meanwhile, Fulcher, who previously ran a telehealth startup that went bankrupt, seemingly overstated his credentials before he was hired to work at DOGE, including claiming a doctorate in international relations and affairs from Johns Hopkins, according to a Forbes report from earlier this year. In a statement to the Post, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said it was 'not fair' to characterize Fulcher's departure as a firing and called him a 'great guy.' The Defense Department released a statement on behalf of Fulcher that read: "As planned, I've completed 6 months of service in government to my country. Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense has been incredibly inspiring. "Revitalizing the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence are just some of the historic accomplishments I'm proud to have witnessed. Still, this is just the beginning. "None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth's decisive leadership or President Trump's continued confidence in our team. "I'm grateful to both, and to the extraordinary civilians and service members who turn vision into action every day. "I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors and remain impressed by the work of the Department of Defense." In a text message to the Post, Fulcher reiterated that his departure was 'perfectly amicable' and that he had only planned to work there for six months.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Scrambles to Create a Distraction From Epstein Files
Donald Trump is desperate for anything to distract the angry mob seeking answers on alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Now, he's hoping to toss them some dirt on Hillary Clinton—too bad nobody cares about that. During an appearance Wednesday on Real America's Voice, Just the News founder John Solomon reported that Trump was open to declassifying information tied to conspiracy theories about the former secretary of state. One piece was the classified annex of Inspector General Michael Horowitz's 2018 report on the FBI's actions ahead of the 2016 election. The missing annex had become the center of right-wing conspiracies that the FBI had ignored credible information of Clinton's wrongdoing in the investigation of her private email server. When asked if he'd declassify the annex, Trump told Just the News, 'I would do that.' 'Absolutely. I think it should be looked at. The whole thing was a scam. I would do that broadly,' Trump said. Trump also indicated he was open to declassifying another classified annex from Special Counsel John Durham's 2023 report, which supposedly contained evidence that Clinton had approved a proposal to 'vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services.' 'I would declassify it, yeah. Why not?' Trump told Just the News. 'I would absolutely declassify it.' But Trump's promises are far from an actual commitment. Trump had previously pledged the 'total declassification of any & all documents' related to Russiagate and Clinton's use of a private email server during his first term, but attorneys from the Department of Justice told the Office of White House Council to simply disregard the president's hollow threat. Trump has been increasingly desperate to redirect the massive backlash over his administration's toothless findings in its investigation into Epstein, which produced no additional documents and found that the sex offender kept no incriminating 'client list,' even though his attorney general claimed one had been sitting on her desk. The president posted a furious rant on Truth Social Tuesday, saying that any of his followers who were interested in the Epstein case were falling for Democratic 'bullshit,' and compared it to the 'totally fake and made up story used in order to hide Crooked Hillary Clinton's big loss in the 2016 Presidential Election.' Similarly to Russia's interference in the 2016 election, Trump now claims that Epstein files are a 'hoax.' Unfortunately for Trump, Americans don't care about Clinton's emails nearly as much as they care about his own administration's scandal: Signalgate, the infamous use of a non-secure messaging app by several top Cabinet officials to discuss sensitive war plans. After Signalgate, a YouGov survey found that nearly 75 percent of respondents believed the scandal was 'very' or 'somewhat' serious. After Clinton's email scandal in 2015, YouGov found that 56 percent of respondents thought the issue was 'very serious' and 'somewhat serious.' By 2022, people had become more concerned, but only 62 percent saw it as 'very serious' or 'somewhat serious,' likely at least in part resulting from Trump's constant griping about it. Meanwhile, a Quinnpac Poll published Wednesday found that 63 percent of American voters disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. Trump's looking for anything at all that can distract the angry mob. Just in case the almond moms were sharpening their pitchforks, Trump even promised that he would get real sugar added to Coca Cola instead of high fructose corn syrup. Now there's something everyone can get behind!
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Maurene Comey's Head 'Just Rolled' Amid Epstein Backlash, Van Jones Says
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Maurene Comey, federal prosecutor in Manhattan who played a key role in the criminal cases against sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, marks "the head that just rolled" after being fired Wednesday, former Barack Obama adviser Van Jones said. Newsweek previously reached out to the White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment. Why It Matters The decision to dismiss Comey—former FBI Director James Comey's daughter—was delivered as the DOJ faces renewed scrutiny over its handling of evidence and records in the case against Epstein, the disgraced financier who in 2019 died by suicide in jail before his trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted of the same charges and is serving a 20-year prison term. Comey was informed of her firing in a letter that noted Article II of the U.S. Constitution in the decision, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the matter. The Times first reported the firing, which was later picked up by ABC News and the Associated Press. Comey played an integral role in prosecuting high-profile sex trafficking cases involving Epstein and Maxwell, proceedings that have cast a long shadow over U.S. and international legal and political arenas. Her dismissal comes during a period of heightened public suspicion and political controversy, particularly among President Donald Trump's MAGA-aligned supporters who have voiced concerns about government transparency in the Epstein investigation, with pointed backlash at U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. What To Know While speaking on CNN, Jones, former George W. Bush adviser Scott Jennings and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro were discussing Comey's firing and comparing it to the Signal chat scandal that plagued the Trump administration and included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Mike Waltz, then-national security adviser. Waltz was removed from the position and nominated by Trump to be his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "It's extremely disruptive, this would be true no matter who the president is, to go through getting rid of a Cabinet secretary of any kind, especially the attorney general. It is not worth it, and it's probably not warranted here," Jennings said while highlighting Trump's first six months in office. "When Signalgate wouldn't go away, he [Trump] got rid of Waltz," Navarro said. Jones later replied, "the head that just rolled is Comey's head. I mean, Comey's daughter, that's the head that just rolled." "That's a distraction," Navarro replied. "Exactly, it's a distraction, but I'm saying that's more likely," Jones said. Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin called Comey's dismissal "a disgrace to the Justice Department" while speaking on CNN Wednesday. Van Jones attends the 85th Annual Peabody Awards on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage) Van Jones attends the 85th Annual Peabody Awards on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage) What People Are Saying Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday: "The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again! Just like with the FAKE and fully discredited Steele Dossier, the lying 51 'Intelligence' Agents, the Laptop from Hell, which the Dems swore had come from Russia (No, it came from Hunter Biden's bathroom!), and even the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam itself, a totally fake and made up story used in order to hide Crooked Hillary Clinton's big loss in the 2016 Presidential Election, these Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at - It's all they have - They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates. "Also, unlike Republicans, they stick together like glue. Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bull***,' hook, line, and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years. I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country's history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" What Happens Next Members of Congress have said they will continue pressing for greater transparency regarding the DOJ's handling of the Epstein probe. Official comment from the Southern District of New York or the DOJ on Comey's replacement is still pending, and further inquiries into sealed case records remain likely as policymakers and the public seek additional answers.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Signalgate scandal: US President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Mike Waltz says app was ‘recommended' by…
US President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Mike Waltz , has claimed that the encrypted messaging app , Signal, which played a central role in the recent "Signalgate" scandal, was "recommended" to him. Waltz, who was removed from his post in May, said that he was using the commercially available app for discussing a sensitive military operation after it was recommended by the Biden administration . The incident in question involved him mistakenly adding The Atlantic editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal group chat (that included Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, as well as other government officials) that was used to discuss a US military operation in Yemen. Testifying at a recent Senate hearing for his nomination as US ambassador to the United Nations, Waltz was questioned about a potential national security breach that was caused by the 'mistake'. What Mike Waltz said about using Signal app for discussing military operations Responding to US Senator Chris Coons' question about whether he had been investigated for using the app to discuss sensitive information, Waltz said, 'The use of Signal, as an encrypted app, is not only authorised, it was recommended in the Biden era CISA guidance.' In this reply, Waltz was talking about a set of guidelines which was released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in November 2024 to address cyber espionage activities linked to the People's Republic of China. CISA is the federal body tasked with safeguarding cybersecurity and infrastructure across the US government and states. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Providencia (ver precio) Verisure Alarmas Undo According to a report by The Independent, this advisory was intended to be general guidance. The CISA policy introduced during the Biden administration, which was aimed specifically at government employees, also discouraged using personal devices for work-related tasks, the report notes. At the same time, the Department of Defence also had a stricter policy which explicitly prohibited Signal and other encrypted commercial messaging apps. The policy stated that they were 'not authorised to access, transmit, process non-public DoD information,' the report adds. However, Waltz and other Trump officials have maintained that no classified information was shared in their group chat and that Signal was authorised to some extent. While defending his use of the app. Waltz reiterated this point to Senator Coons. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
