GOP Sen. Roger Wicker wants expedited watchdog investigation into Signal chat leak

Washington — Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that the panel is seeking an expedited inspector general investigation into the leak of a sensitive Signal group chat about strikes in Yemen that has stunned Washington in recent days. 

Earlier this week, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic, revealed that he was added to the group on the encrypted messaging app and observed as top Trump officials discussed sensitive plans to strike targets in Yemen. On Wednesday, a day after top administration officials claimed that "no war plans" were discussed, The Atlantic published screenshots of more texts that showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided operational details about the timing of the strikes and the weapons and aircraft that would carry them out.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol after the most recent release, Wicker detailed the committee's path forward. He said he and ranking member Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, would be sending a letter asking the administration to expedite an investigation by the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General and provide the findings to the committee. The chairman said another letter to the administration would seek "to get ground truth," and he noted that the committee wants to determine whether the published transcript is accurate.