Sen. Ossoff confronts CIA director over secret chat leak

Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia questioned CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a hearing about a serious information leak. The leak involved a group chat in which high-ranking officials shared sensitive military plans. This chat included Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among others. A journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in this conversation without his knowledge. Ossoff pressed Ratcliffe on his role in this incident. He asked if Ratcliffe remembered the conversations about military actions in Yemen. Ratcliffe claimed he did not recall the specifics, prompting Ossoff to read direct quotes from an article by Goldberg that highlighted the issues discussed in the chat. As the questioning continued, Ratcliffe struggled to provide clear answers. Ossoff pointed out that discussions about U.S. military strategies would be of interest to foreign intelligence services. Ratcliffe, however, deferred comments to other officials involved in the conversation. Frustrated with Ratcliffe's responses, Ossoff asked the CIA director if this incident was indeed a significant mistake. Ratcliffe disagreed, which led to more interruptions. Ossoff criticized Ratcliffe’s handling of the situation, calling it unprofessional and embarrassing. He emphasized the lack of accountability for this serious error and stated that the full transcript of the conversation would be reviewed carefully.