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Hillary Clinton criticized the Trump administration sharply in an essay published on Friday in the New York Times, lambasting its handling of national security issues and its policies.
The former Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State focused much of her ire on a recent Signal chat leak, which she deemed both careless and dangerous.
Clinton expressed particular outrage over the Trump administration’s handling of classified information and federal record retention laws.
She called the administration’s actions “dumb” and questioned its regard for national security.
“It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity. We’re all shocked — shocked! — that President Trump and his team don’t actually care about protecting classified information or federal record retention laws,” Clinton wrote.
“But we knew that already. What’s much worse is that top Trump administration officials put our troops in jeopardy by sharing military plans on a commercial messaging app and unwittingly invited a journalist into the chat. That’s dangerous. And it’s just dumb.”
The controversy stemmed from a leak about a group chat on the Signal messaging app, which included a discussion about a military operation in Yemen.
The leak, reported by The Atlantic, revealed that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the chat. Clinton, reacting to the leak, expressed her disbelief on social media platform X, writing, “You have got to be kidding me.”
Her reaction drew attention to the similarities between the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive information and Clinton’s own email scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign, where she faced accusations of mishandling classified materials through a private email server.
In her essay, Clinton contrasted what she referred to as the “dumb power” approach of the Trump administration with the “smart power” she claimed to have employed as Secretary of State.
“The Trump approach is dumb power. Instead of a strong America using all our strengths to lead the world and confront our adversaries, Mr. Trump’s America will be increasingly blind and blundering, feeble and friendless,” Clinton wrote, highlighting what she perceived as a lack of effective leadership under President Trump.
Clinton also took aim at several of the Trump administration’s policy moves, including the gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the closure of various embassies and consulates, and significant layoffs within the government, particularly in intelligence agencies.
Throughout the essay, Clinton continued to criticize the administration’s decision-making, describing it as “not smart,” “dumb,” and “dumb and dangerous.”
In a notable comparison, Clinton contrasted the Trump administration’s approach to government efficiency with the efforts of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during the 1990s.
She highlighted the Reinventing Government initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore, which aimed to streamline government operations and modernize the workforce.
“During the Clinton administration, my husband’s Reinventing Government initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore, worked with Congress to thoughtfully streamline bureaucracy, modernize the workforce and save billions of dollars,” she wrote.
“In many ways it was the opposite of the Trump administration’s slash-and-burn approach. Today they are not reinventing government; they’re wrecking it.”
Clinton’s criticisms come at the end of a week in which the Signal chat leak dominated the news cycle.
While The Atlantic published the private messages, suggesting a significant breach of national security, Trump administration officials have denied any classified material was discussed in the chat.
As the public debate continues, Clinton’s essay serves as a pointed reminder of the ongoing tensions between the former Secretary of State and President Trump’s administration, with the Signal chat leak becoming yet another flashpoint in their ongoing political rivalry.
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The only information HIllary wants kept secret is how her husband spent a lot of time on a particular island.
Yes indeed, the pot calling the kettle black. She is a revolting, and totally deplorable skank. Hope she enjoys her eventual dirt nap.
Anyone who has accidentally hit “Reply to All,’ Please raise your hand.
Oh! The irony…weird, huh?
Is there a Statute of Limitations for filing treason charges?