Intelligence officials to face Senate questions about journalist’s inclusion on military strikes chat

The Senate Intelligence Committee will meet today at 10 a.m. ET for its “Worldwide Threats” hearing, an annual intelligence community oversight hearing with testimony from the heads of the intel agencies.  

The open hearing, expected to run almost three hours, will be followed by a classified, closed session. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is the only official who will give an opening statement, but all officials participating will take questions from senators.

The hearing comes less than 24 hours after The Atlantic reported that Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal group chat with Trump administration officials about U.S. military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The group chat reportedly included two of the officials scheduled to testify today: Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Senators said they expect questions regarding The Atlantic’s reporting. 

“I would expect it would, and I would expect our Democrat colleagues would raise it. And I suspect some of my Republican colleagues may raise it just as an issue to be very concerned about,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said yesterday.