 "Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference at the Justice Department, on Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. AP File")
US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday “signalled” that there will be no criminal investigation of “Signalgate” – the scandal over the sharing of sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen on a group chat which contained a top Washington journalist, according to The New York Times report_._
Bondi defended senior national security officials for discussing potential military strikes in Yemen on Signal, stating that the information shared in the chat was “sensitive but not classified.”
“It was sensitive information, not classified, and inadvertently released,” NYT quoted Bondi as telling reporters in Virginia while praising the military operation that ensued.
“What we should be talking about is, it was a very successful mission,” Bondi said.
Under normal circumstances, the FBI and Justice Department would initiate an investigation to determine if classified information was shared without authorisation, which is a criminal offense.
Bondi strongly countered critics who raised serious concerns about the conversation occurring on an unclassified commercial messaging app that officials worry could be susceptible to foreign hacking.
“If you want to talk about classified information, talk about what was at Hillary Clinton’s home,” CNN quoted Bondi as saying.
“Talk about that — that classified documents in Joe Biden’s garage that Hunter Biden had access to.”
“This was not classified information, and we are very pleased with the results of that operation, and that the entire world is safer because of it,” she added.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDiscussions around these episodes have intensified, particularly regarding Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. This issue was notably weaponised by Republicans, including Donald Trump, during the 2016 presidential campaign against Clinton.
Observers have also pointed out Trump’s own challenges related to the handling of classified information after leaving the White House in 2021, which led to criminal charges that were only set aside after he won the election last year.
Biden faced scrutiny over his management of classified information from his time as vice president between 2009 and 2017.
Unlike Trump, Biden was not charged, although a critical report caused significant political fallout. Moreover, Biden’s son, Hunter, was found guilty of tax and gun-related charges before being pardoned by his father as he left office.
With inputs from agencies