Professor of Law Gregory Germain spoke with Newsweek about the use of the chat app Signal by Trump administration leaders to discuss war plans attacking Yemen. A journalist was added to the group chat.
“I don’t know if it’s technically a crime to use a server that is not set up and approved by the government to discuss top secret war plans; I do know that it’s incredibly sloppy and dangerous, and government officials need to be a lot more careful and put procedures in place to prevent something like this from happening again,” he said.
“But even if it is some sort of crime, who is going to prosecute? It’s very hard to see Pam Bondi’s Justice Department bringing charges over this incredibly sloppy and embarrassing incident,” he said.
Germain added that, under federal code, 18 USC 798, it is a crime to “knowingly and willfully” share classified information with people who do not have appropriate clearances.
“Presumably, the sharing of information with the journalist was a mistake, not a knowing and willful violation,” he said.