Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) delivered a sharp rebuke on Tuesday to officials within the Trump administration after revelations emerged that top-secret war plans were openly discussed in a Signal messaging app, inadvertently including journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. This criticism marked a significant departure from other Republican figures who have downplayed the incident.
“It’s not okay,” Cramer stated firmly. “And any member of Congress, particularly ones that are on important committees or sensitive committees like armed services or intelligence or foreign relations, knows that it’s not okay.”
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The North Dakota Republican, generally a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, described the situation as embarrassing and unacceptable, stressing that such serious missteps should never be repeated. “I don’t know if a head will roll or has to roll yet, but this has got to be the last time something this big and dumb happens,” Cramer asserted during discussions with reporters.
In contrast to President Trump and other administration officials, Cramer advocated strongly for a candid acknowledgment of the mistake. Speaking to CNN’s Erin Burnett, he underscored the importance of transparency, stating, “Whether you apologize or not, admitting that it was a mistake, I think, is the minimum. And I don’t think it’s difficult, quite honestly. I find it strange that some people find it difficult.”
Furthermore, Cramer praised Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, for exercising discretion by withholding sensitive details from his reporting, reflecting an appreciation for responsible journalism amidst such controversies.
Addressing potential accountability, Cramer noted, “I’m going to reserve my judgment for the, you know, the final blame, if you will, until a further investigation has happened.” However, he emphasized the immediate necessity of owning up to the misstep, saying, “In the meantime, I think the main thing to do is admit that it was a screw up on somebody’s part along the way.”
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Cramer concluded by pointing out that the core issue isn’t necessarily how Goldberg gained access to the Signal chat, but rather that high-level government discussions involving sensitive military operations should never have occurred on a non-secure messaging platform.
“The issue of the day isn’t that the journalist was on the discussion as much as the substance of the discussion should never have happened on that platform,” Cramer declared. “And I’m pretty confident it’ll never happen again.”
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