Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) says there’s “no doubt” that Russia and China were watching the U.S. officials’ devices during a chat about a war plan.
“I will guarantee you, 99.99 percent with confidence, Russia and China are monitoring those two phones,” Bacon told CNN’s Manu Raju. “So I just think it’s a security violation, and there’s no doubt that Russia and China saw this stuff within hours of the actual attacks on Yemen or the Houthis.”
National security adviser Mike Waltz reportedly invited The Atlantic’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, into a private group chat where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared secret war plans.
Bacon, a former Air Force brigadier general and current member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he had concerns about Hegseth, an Army veteran and former Fox News host.
Bacon called the group chat, which also included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President Vance, a “gross error.”
“They intentionally put highly classified information on an unclassified device,” he told CNN. “I would have lost my security clearance in the Air Force for this and for a lot less.”
Messages shared by Goldberg show that Vance opposed plans to attack the Houthis, who were threatening commercial ships in the Red Sea. The vice president expressed frustration about “bailing Europe out again.”
Hegseth then responded, saying he shared Vance’s “loathing of European free-loading,” calling it “PATHETIC.”
Bacon said he was troubled by the “loathing toward Europe.”
“Europe’s our ally. NATO is our ally. Canada’s our ally. I think now we can see why they’re so condescending and rude to our allies, because you just see it in a private text,” Bacon said. “To me, the concern is that they’re making foreign policy based on this ‘loathing,’ and I don’t like it.”
Bacon has been one of the few Republicans speaking out against the Trump administration, calling for respect of court rulings and checks on government power.
Watch the clip below from CNN:
GOP Rep. Don Bacon on Trump team's Yemen group chat: "I will guarantee you, 99.99% with confidence, Russia and China are monitoring those two phones. So I just think it's a security violation, and there's no doubt that Russia and China saw this stuff within hours of the attacks… pic.twitter.com/UFnGPsLd51
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 25, 2025
