Barstool Sports activities founder Dave Portnoy didn’t mince phrases in regards to the Trump administration’s “f–k up of epic proportions” when prime brass inadvertently shared delicate plans to strike the Houthis with the highest editor of Atlantic journal.
Portnoy, 48, minimize a video message to President Trump, whom he backed within the 2024 election, insisting that heads ought to roll among the many administration’s prime brass over the Sign scandal, which he argued can’t be glossed over.
“Trump, you may love Michael Waltz,” Portnoy stated, addressing Trump particularly in a video posted on social media. “You love Pete Hegseth. You may love these guys. Somebody has to go down.”
“To me, it’s Michael Waltz,” he added. “He’s the one who added him to this conversation. But you can’t have the top of the top security people in the United States — with the most sensitive information in the world — adding random editors of a magazine that hates Trump’s guts to a group chat talking about an attack before it happens on a terrorist group.”
Nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz had added Atlantic journal editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a non-public, encrypted Sign chat named “Houthi PC Small Group” the place they deliberated over plans to assault the Yemen-based terrorist group.
There have been 18 high-level officers — together with Vice President JD Vance, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and others — within the Sign chat.
At one level, Hegseth laid out detailed plans within the chat to strike Houthi targets, giving Goldberg a roughly two-hour heads-up earlier than the navy operation ensued.
Waltz has since denied figuring out Goldberg, regardless of the 2 being photographed collectively a number of years in the past, and has been adamant that “I don’t text him, he wasn’t on my phone.” Waltz has even implied that he was confronted with a scenario the place he had Goldberg’s “number on someone else’s contact.”
Amid the rising firestorm, Trump has stood by Waltz and all of his prime deputies — not less than for now. Publicly, Trump stated that he doesn’t suppose Waltz ought to apologize and praised him for “doing his best.”
However Portnoy countered that this scandal can’t be glossed over so simply.
“You can’t pooh-pooh it. You can’t downplay it. You have to sit up there and be like, ‘Holy s–t. This is a f–k up of epic proportions. There will be accountability. I will get to the bottom of this,’” the sports activities guru harassed.
Goldberg has lengthy been an outspoken critic of Trump, and the president had lengthy railed in opposition to him. Portnoy argued that the president has good cause to be hostile towards the Atlantic, which he bashed as one of many “heavy left-leaning media organizations.”
“I hate them. Trump hates them. They hate Trump. They probably hate me,” Portnoy stated.
“Pay attention, we’ve all texted the incorrect particular person. We’re not the secretary of protection, we’re not the nationwide safety advisor, we’re not the vp of the USA.
“Yeah, mistakes happen. This one can’t.”
After the bombshell Atlantic piece in regards to the leaked Sign chat got here out, Hegseth shortly sniped at Goldberg, telling reporters he was a “deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist.”
The Pentagon boss additionally claimed that “nobody was texting war plans,” one thing prime White Home officers later doubled down on Wednesday after the Atlantic revealed the total message from Hegseth, which revealed he gave a timeline of plans to strike the Houthis on March 15.
“Pete Hegseth’s immediate reaction, is like, ‘No, that never happened. We didn’t leak any classified information. No classified information in there,’” Portnoy chided, noting that “lots of American soldiers could have died” if the Houthis received these particulars.
On Wednesday, The Submit’s Steven Nelson requested White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt about Portnoy’s scathing critique of the president.
“Great respect for Dave Portnoy,” Leavitt stated earlier than brushing his evaluation apart.
The Nationwide Safety Council is conducting an investigation into the leak. Waltz is accountable for employees on the NSC. Moreover White Home adviser Elon Musk’s group is slated to help within the probe, per Leavitt.
Portnoy posted his critique of Trump shortly after the Atlantic launched its follow-up story Wednesday that includes the particular message Hegseth despatched concerning the strike timeline.
“Guess what? It’s super sensitive. It’s super-classified,” Portnoy charged.
Prime Trump administration officers have quibbled over whether or not the message really featured categorised materials.
“It’s surreal that these guys added Jeffrey Goldberg to this group chat. I mean, they were talking about the attack, leading up to the attack, all the way to a couple hours — when they’re going to do it, the time, the weather, you name it,” Portnoy stated.
