Trump official in Signal flap also used Gmail for gov’t messages, report says
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So, moron or actively concealing illegal acts by using non-official services to dodge electronic records management requirements? Yes?
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It really cannot be understated how hard the boom would get dropped on any normal-ass person who was this negligent with classified material.
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Well at least it wasn't a private email server, right? That would have been totally unconscionable.
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He's also a Trump loyalist. And Trump doesn't push his loyalists under a bus unless it benefits him enough to be worth the effort. And being incompetent isn't 'enough' for Trump. Otherwise he'd have no one left to serve him, since, by definition, anyone loyal to Trump a mix of incompetent and stupid. Just look at his kids....
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Guess we know who’s taking the fall for this one. It must really suck being the least favourite guy out of that cadre of vicious, uncharismatic twerps.
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i suppose it could have been worse. an AOL account, right? or posting things on Pastebin?
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Obligatory "but her emails" and "lock her up" comment.
There will be no consequences for these idiots.
There will be no consequences for these idiots.
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The original story was really about Hegseth's using an unsafe medium for classified information. Waltz's mistake was an "oopsie" without too many consequences.
This, however, suggests they should both be fired.
This, however, suggests they should both be fired.
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Anyone remember the cabinet turnover turmoil that followed the first Trump Administration?
At least Waltz lasted longer as National Security Advisor than Michael Flynn ...
At least Waltz lasted longer as National Security Advisor than Michael Flynn ...
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Both stories actually suggest the entire regime is running everything off the books as a matter of policy.
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It will all be blamed on Hillary or Biden or both. Besides, Trump enjoys how much harder Waltz will have to lick his ass probably in front of the rest of the cabinet to make the point.
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The only argument I can see is they're making Trump look bad (to even people who don't hate him already), and he doesn't like that.
This is the first story of the entire Trump 2.0 administration that's had staying power. The shock and awe flood the zone shit has kept everyone constantly dancing, but this one has stuck. It's the SNL opener, it's getting play night after night on the late shows, the responses from the people involved have been incredibly stupid and unhelpful to smother it, and now we're finding it has legs.
I think at some point someone probably will be shoved onto their sword to try and make it go away.
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Yeah... I suppose so.
But keep in mind, Google has been indexing email from it's free email tier for years now, and using that to serve targeted advertising. I would assume they've also begun using it to train Gemini, because why wouldn't they?
So although yes, Pastebin would be worse... that's not saying much. There's a whole lot of people with access to Gmail that should most definitely not have access to classified U.S. intelligence.
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This is peak incompetence.
One of the projects my company is working on is FedRAMP compliance. Basically, there are a lot of security controls and requirements that need to be implemented in order to provide cloud services to gov clients. I'm not sure why we're going through all the effort and expense if we could just use standard consumer-grade services, like apparently the duck's Cabinet does.
Hey, let's eliminate all federal cybersecurity standards while we're at it.
One of the projects my company is working on is FedRAMP compliance. Basically, there are a lot of security controls and requirements that need to be implemented in order to provide cloud services to gov clients. I'm not sure why we're going through all the effort and expense if we could just use standard consumer-grade services, like apparently the duck's Cabinet does.
Hey, let's eliminate all federal cybersecurity standards while we're at it.
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I wonder if he at least uses the 'advanced protection program' that Google offers; or if it's nothing but a bad password and god knows how many sleazy oauth grants...
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No, because everyone will focus on Trump saying he might go for a 3rd term. Seems to be his tactic. Say he'll do something outrageous, that probably won't be possible, unless he stages a coup, along the lines of Greenland or Canada stuff, which will take people's minds off the stuff he's actually doing that should have consequences--he's a moron but an expert at distraction.
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Oh, yes, you'd love to think it's just this one particular moron being really irresponsible and that it's not a general pattern of an autocratic, secretive, scofflaw administration systematically and intentionally (and incompetently) attempting to evade transparency and accountability for their decisions, wouldn't you now.
I think it hits two big criticism points, which is that a) they're a bunch of shifty, felonious, scofflaw fuckers, and b) they're trying to evade accountability for their decisions, both of which are the kind of thing that have brought down administrations in the past.
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Doesn't Google still use Gmail to train auto complete? I mean, that can't be good, right?
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Right now, it seems like Republicans just love to redefine the argument as a means to deflect. Let's just ignore discussing sensitive defense-related topics (strikes in Yemen) in an external chat (Signal); how did that reporter get there!? 
...and here's another example. Prior to that quote in the article, it states that Waltz was accused of sending sensitive information not classified information through his personal email. At least through the DoD, your yearly trainings are pretty clear about not using personal email for anything work-related, and sensitive information should be properly handled (e.g., encrypted) through the correct channels (i.e., not your Gmail). So, while we can't be too sure what sort of trainings/briefings Waltz has had, it's likely that he was trained in proper Cyber Security. Unless he's "The Adversary" that the trainings always reference.
...and here's another example. Prior to that quote in the article, it states that Waltz was accused of sending sensitive information not classified information through his personal email. At least through the DoD, your yearly trainings are pretty clear about not using personal email for anything work-related, and sensitive information should be properly handled (e.g., encrypted) through the correct channels (i.e., not your Gmail). So, while we can't be too sure what sort of trainings/briefings Waltz has had, it's likely that he was trained in proper Cyber Security. Unless he's "The Adversary" that the trainings always reference.
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You're more optimistic than I am. Let's not forget that Trump had boxes of classified documents stacked up in publicly-accessible areas of Mar a Lago (including his shitter) and GOP voters blamed the Democrats and the justice system for indicting him. And, based on the results of the last election, the majority of Americans of voting age either voted for Trump anyway or didn't give enough of a fuck to vote at all.
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I used to have a modicum of respect for the right wing.
But since the financial crash (or around about that time), they seem to have decided that the rules are just for other people.
I say "right wing" because this is world wide. Whether in the USA, UK, Europe, India, or elsewhere, they've just decided that rules don't apply to them.
And there is no equivalent pattern of behaviour in the centre or left. There are occasional issues, but they're usually minor and isolated.
This matters. Rules matter because without them we get corruption. And corruption hurts economies, which means it hurts the societies those economies are in, on or contain.
This is simply a symptom of a larger problem, and an indicator that this administration will be corrupt. But it's hardly isolated - it's the new norm for the global right.
But since the financial crash (or around about that time), they seem to have decided that the rules are just for other people.
I say "right wing" because this is world wide. Whether in the USA, UK, Europe, India, or elsewhere, they've just decided that rules don't apply to them.
And there is no equivalent pattern of behaviour in the centre or left. There are occasional issues, but they're usually minor and isolated.
This matters. Rules matter because without them we get corruption. And corruption hurts economies, which means it hurts the societies those economies are in, on or contain.
This is simply a symptom of a larger problem, and an indicator that this administration will be corrupt. But it's hardly isolated - it's the new norm for the global right.
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This administration has been basically all insider threat, all the time, since it started.
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