On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Arena,” host Kasie Hunt said that the deaths of 13 American soldiers in the Kabul airport bombing “is absolutely not comparable at all to anything that was conducted on a phone” with the Signal story, but there is a danger that if the behavior demonstrated in the story continues, it could lead to soldiers dying.
While speaking with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Hunt asked, “Are you comfortable with the idea that there’s going to be no accountability in what happened here?”
Lawler answered, “Well, look, when we look at national security incidents in recent history, including in the Biden administration, where 13 U.S. servicemembers died as a result of the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, and not one single person was fired or held accountable, I think, for some of my Democratic colleagues to be demanding resignations here is a little bit ridiculous.”
Hunt then cut in to say, “I certainly — I completely understand the deaths of those servicemembers is absolutely not comparable at all to anything that was conducted on a phone. I totally understand that. But I think the challenge here is that there’s a risk that something similar could happen if this continues to occur. Are you confident it’s not going to anymore?”
Lawler responded, “Which is why, when this story broke, I made very clear that that should not have occurred. I do not think, whether it’s classified or sensitive, that any type of discussion like that should occur using Signal, despite the fact that CISA had issued a directive, under the Biden administration, in December of 2024, to encourage folks to use end-to-end encryption and use Signal — apps like Signal, NSA has since put out guidance saying not to do that in certain instances. Obviously, I think this was a very clear example where it should not have been utilized. I think those safeguards should be put in place. And, obviously, it was an embarrassment for the administration. Should it result in the firing of the national security adviser? In my opinion, no.”
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