Casten calls for resignations following national security breach

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, released the following statement regarding the recent breach of national security led by key members of the Trump administration.

“We are now seeing the consequences of what happens when inexperienced and unqualified individuals are put in charge of our national security,” Casten said in the statement. “Starting an unsecured group chat on potentially unsecured personal devices to discuss strategy and timing of a U.S. military operation is in itself a scandal. To do so while also adding unknown people to the group is a mark of incompetence and sloppiness that is disqualifying for a junior officer, much less Cabinet officials. To then lie to Congress under oath about the nature of those disclosures shows the contempt that these individuals hold for our democracy itself.

“Those actions would be a fireable offense if committed by any junior employee at the Departments of State, Defense, CIA, NSA or Vice President’s office. If the leaders are not held to the same standard, the rot will spread.

“If the buck still stops at the President’s desk, he will demand the immediate resignation of all the individuals involved—including Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Michael Waltz, John Ratcliffe, Marco Rubio and JD Vance. He will also provide an immediate and full report to Congress and allow for an investigation into the scope of this breach, as well as a review of all protocols to ensure it never happens again. And he will immediately reach out to our allies to restore their trust and minimize the on-going threat to the United States’ security posture.”

National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Tuesday assumed “full responsibility” for a leaked Signal group chat of senior Trump officials in which plans for a forthcoming strike on the Houthis in Yemen were discussed. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, was inadvertently included in the group discussion.

“Anything short of that would mark the President and his leadership team as incompetent, treasonous, or both. And if that sounds politically impractical, it is only because the rot is so widely spread around the President, his cabinet and his enablers.

“These are serious jobs and we are living in deadly serious times. The survival of our Republic depends on taking all responsibility away from these dangerously unserious people. Mr. President, it’s time to act like the leader you claim to be.”