“This is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly toward classified information, that this is not a one-off or a first-time error,“ said Warner. “It's a pattern.“

　　While Democratic senators relentlessly questioned the issue, Republican senators in the hearing almost completely refrained from asking about it. The senators from both parties took their respective sides, highlighting strong partisan divisions.

　　When Gabbard and Ratcliffe were repeatedly interrogated about whether the group chat contained “classified information,“ Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, a Republican, stepped in to offer support, emphasizing that Defense Secretary Hegseth is the “original classification authority.“

　　Christopher Galdieri, a political science professor at Saint Anselm College, said the fact that this conversation was conducted on a consumer-grade messaging app alone says nothing good about this administration's level of professionalism.

　　“Cabinet members and national security officials have secure devices and locations for these conversations to prevent exactly this sort of thing from happening. It's just appalling,“ Galdieri told Xinhua.

　　National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who reportedly invited Goldberg to the chat group, on Tuesday assumed “full responsibility“ for the leaked Signal group chat. “I take full responsibility. I built the group,“ Waltz told Fox News. “It's embarrassing. We're going to get to the bottom of it.“

　　Trump defended Waltz on Tuesday, saying that the national security advisor will not be fired over the incident despite some Democrats calling for Waltz's and Hegseth's resignation.

　　“He's not getting fired,“ Trump told Fox News. The president said the incident was a “mistake,“ though there was “nothing important“ in the Signal text thread.