Opinion : Letter to the Editor: The Trump Report 03/30/25

Dear Editor,

Just one boring week. That’s all our country needs. Just one week without chaos. But we have the incompetent Trump Administration trying to run our country and mayhem ensues. (Yes, this is long but it is a complicated subject with a lot of website sources. Sorry if this is taxing your mind.)

Several years ago, when I was attending grad school for my Master’s in Nonprofit Management, there was a detailed discussion in one of my classes about Crisis Management. The steps to manage a crisis are relatively simple but extremely hard to master. There are 5 basic principles.

1. As quickly as possible determine the W’s, Who, What, Where, and How. Make sure that the information is correct.

2. Dust off the Crisis Management Handbook that you already prepared. (lol)

3. Get ready to address the press as quickly as possible with accurate information to. Apologize, in this case say something like this. “It has come to our attention that an unsecured chat occurred concerning the attack plan for the Houthis/Yemen bombing on March 15. This breach of military protocols is unacceptable. To make matters worse, a journalist with no security clearance was erroneously invited on this chat. We will be organizing a thorough investigation on how this happened. Those who are responsible for this breach will be held accountable. We sincerely apologize for the lapse in protocols and we will take steps that something like this never happens again.” (or something to this effect)

4. Do what you said you would do.

5. Follow-up again with the press when all of the information is received and those who were responsible dealt with including firing.

Did President Trump or anyone from the administration do this? Of course not. They just keep digging the hole deeper. They can’t admit their mistakes. The playbook is to first, malign the journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic for reporting this mistake even after the DOD and Pentagon, would not return the journalist’s calls. You see poor Trump’s feelings have been hurt by some things Goldberg has written. Two days in and Trump trotted out the “witch-hunt” line again trying to place blame on the “Deep State” and press for this debacle.

For Trump’s part in this, he seems clueless or feigning knowledge of this episode. He deflects telling the press they will need to talk to Waltz or Hegseth. Then, on Wednesday during a press conference on a different subject, Trump was asked about the then four servicemembers who were missing in Lithuania. He knew nothing about it and had nothing to say. Since then, the four were confirmed dead and nary a word from Trump. He has again shown his lack of concern and respect for the military.

Donald Trump Says He Wasn't Briefed About US Soldiers Missing in Lithuania

U.S. soldiers missing in Lithuania: Trump's lack of awareness

4 American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania have died, NATO leader says

Defense Secretary Hegseth immediately denied anything happened and tried to pretend that it was the journalist fault. He was not aware that an administration official had already confirmed the breach. Later in the week, it was announced that Hegseth’s brother has now been brought on to be the Secretary’s “liaison” or someone to hold his hand.

In another lapse of security, Hegseth’s wife Jennifer, another FOX former employee without a security clearance, has sat in on a couple of high-level security meetings. I remember a few months back, the right was apoplectic because Jill Biden, with a security clearance, sat in on a Cabinet meeting that other First Ladies have also done in the past. No shortage of hypocrisy here.

Hegseth Brings in Emotional Support Brother as Pentagon Aide

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Included Wife in Sensitive Meetings: Report - Newsweek

Pete Hegseth’s Wife Jennifer Tags Along for Top Secret Military Meetings

Between his diplomatic mistakes on the international stage and his mishandling of this chat, he is proving his detractors concerns if he should be in this sensitive position.

Bing Videos - Pete Hegseth Denies Texting Yemen War Plans As Calls Grow To FIRE Him

Pete Hegseth Faces More Calls to Resign Over Signal Texts | TIME

Hegseth's Signal texts a security breach, former pilots say

VP Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and others totaling 18 of supposed national security professionals were on the chat. They probably would not have known Goldberg was mistakenly on the call if Goldberg had not gone public with what he knew.

Everyone in the administration and most Republicans in Congress kept trying to spin this as not serious. A debate ensued if the information on the attack was classified or not. That distinction is not the point. Lack of serious consideration for our nation’s secrets is the issue for this amateur Cabinet. Deny, deny, deny. The bottom line is that the Signal app was deemed not secure enough for vital information, like military attack plans, to be used for high-level communication of any kind. The reason why the app was used was to have the information deleted after a few days so that no one, either in government, press, or public would ever know the details of the operation. A clear violation of protocols.

There are so many layers to this evolving story most notably it was discovered that up to this Thursday the Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had Venmo accounts open on the phones that were used. Waltz included a list of his personal accounts that he uses.

Ratcliffe, Gabbard Grilled over Atlantic Bombshell in Heated Hearing, Insist No Classified Info Shared

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was on the chat from the Kremlin while visiting his “friend” Putin. Does anyone think that was a good idea?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/flight-data-show-stevewitkoff-was-in-russia-during-group-chat-on-signal/ar-AA1BDchO?ocid=BingNewsSerp

DNI Gabbard, when questioned where she was and whether she was using a secure phone, stonewalled and said she could not even remember what country she was in when she was on the chat or what kind of phone she was using. These amateurs are in charge of our secrets. Heaven helps us.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ratcliffe-gabbard-grilled-over-atlantic-bombshell-in-heatedhearing-insist-no-classified-info-shared/ar-AA1BD1AO?ocid=BingNe

If the peanut gallery comments are at all serious the comments should include an acknowledgement that there is something wrong here. This lack of concern about sensitive information on military planning with the use of semi-unsecured platforms and not knowing who is on the call or when they left the chat could get members of the military killed if this recklessness falls in to the wrong hands.

This is bigger and more concerning that whether I am a Democrat or as some assert obsessed with Trump. I will wear that obsession proudly. My question to my detractors, why are so obsessed with making excuses for Trump and not troubled by what is going on in D.C.? I am not responsible for this feckless government; I am just reporting it.

   Rosemary Schwartz