US Senate minority leader to introduce legislation to shore up national security

WASHINGTON

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will introduce legislation Wednesday to shore up national security.

"Later today, I'll be introducing legislation with senators (Andy) Kim and (Adam) Schiff to shore up our national security and make sure the Trump administration knows how to handle classified information," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

His remarks came one day after the Washington Post reported that members of US President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, including National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, have used their personal Gmail accounts for official government communication, raising concerns over data security.

"So, it's clear the controversy about Signal was clearly not an isolated incident. It was a pattern of gross negligence.

"It's clear that the Trump administration can't be trusted on their own to protect Americans and America's intelligence," Schumer said.

It came after a report last week by Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, that he had been mistakenly added to a confidential Signal messaging group chat about plans for an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 13 after receiving a connection request from an account bearing Waltz's name two days prior.

"Under any other president, these stunning breaches would have resulted in swift accountability," Schumer said.

America cannot afford any lessons learned when it comes to its national security, he said, adding: "I cannot afford it, and I hope that this legislation will do some good."