Rep. Donalds: Signal Leak Didn't Derail US Policy

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., dismissed concerns on Newsmax, Wednesday over a messaging leak involving a journalist and U.S. military officials, saying the incident had "no impact" on national security or foreign policy goals under President Donald Trump.

Donalds, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs subcommittees, downplayed the significance of a recent Signal group chat controversy, calling it a distraction without effect on U.S. military or foreign policy operations.

The incident drew attention when journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently included in a Signal conversation among U.S. officials discussing a military strike in Yemen. Critics questioned whether sensitive information had been compromised.

Appearing on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Donalds dismissed the controversy.

"Quite frankly, obviously, there was a Signal conversation," Donalds said. "From everything I've seen, there's not been any information that, in my view, was really classified. And I think that the [director of national intelligence], FBI and CIA testified to that in both the House and the Senate today and yesterday."

He emphasized that the bigger picture — particularly the mission's outcome — was far more critical than the messaging leak.

"Now the question is, What's been the impact to our foreign policy? Well, the impact is nil," Donalds said. "The objective, which was to stop the Houthis from basically becoming pirates in our shipping lanes, has been thwarted."

Donalds contrasted the incident with what he described as foreign policy failures under the previous administration.

"If you compare what's going on with this Signal chat drama that the liberals and the Democrats want to keep talking about, compare that to the failure of Joe Biden's foreign policy," he said. "Sure, it wasn't in a chat, but the failure was for everybody to see, and the failure was robust."

"The failure made every American less safe, and, quite frankly, it led to two wars going on in the world right now," Donalds said. "So, I don't — I'm not going to get bogged down in a Signal chat. Look at the outcomes of what Donald Trump's team has been doing … a better foreign policy for a more secure America and a safer world."

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