Press Release

Today, U.S. Representative Ami Bera (CA-06), Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Ranking Member Jim Himes and all committee Democrats in a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, calling for the Intelligence Community to conduct an independent investigation into the Signal group chat in which participants discussed detailed plans for an impending U.S. military attack on Houthi terrorists in Yemen. 

The letter follows the Committee’s Worldwide Threats hearing, during which DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe answered questions about their participation in the chat. 

“Since you and other intelligence community leaders testified about the group chat before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last Wednesday, there have been new developments,” the 11 Members wrote. “First, the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee requested the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense conduct an inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the chat. Second, the Wall Street Journal, citing multiple U.S. officials, reported that a key American ally ‘provided sensitive intelligence from a human source in Yemen on a key Houthi military operative’ who was targeted in the U.S. military attack; that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz sent texts on the Signal chain following the attack—noting the U.S. had ‘positive ID’ that the building in which the operative was located had collapsed—that may have been linked to information from that source; and that the U.S. ally complained to the United States that Mr. Waltz’s texts had become public. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, if accurate, is deeply concerning.”

The Members continued: “These developments underscore the need for the intelligence community, under your leadership, to conduct a parallel inquiry into the chat, to complement the congressionally-requested inquiry by the DOD IG and the inquiry that is—according to your testimony—apparently being conducted by the National Security Council.”

The full list of signers includes Representatives Ami Bera (CA-06), Jim Himes (CT-04), André Carson (IN-07), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jason Crow (CO-06), Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and Mike Quigley (IL-05).The full text of the letter is available here.