Trump pick for Joint Chiefs chair tells Senate 'element of surprise' should be guarded amid Signal chat leak
Lt. Gen. Daniel "Razin" Caine, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. top military officer, side-stepped questions from Senate Democrats about his view on the recent Signal leak controversy roiling the Trump administration, but he did say the "element of surprise" should be safeguarded as a result of the incident.
Democrats, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, repeatedly asked Caine about how he would respond to hypothetical scenarios regarding the leak, during a Thursday confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Caine, careful with his responses, repeatedly stressed the importance of "preserv[ing] the element of surprise," adding that he has "always" communicated sensitive information using the proper channels.
Blumenthal charged that the "element of surprise was very likely lost" as a result of the leak.
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While the Trump administration and its supporters have denied that anything discussed in the Signal chat amounted to war plans, critics have disagreed, citing the fact the chats included a detailed timeline about a U.S. attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"Because of your extraordinary service, general, I can't imagine anyone better qualified to answer this question," Blumenthal said to Caine. "Knowing what you do, about the substance of that conversation, how would you feel?"
"Well, Senator, I stand by what I said before. I think we all can agree that we need to always protect the element of surprise," Caine said.
"And that element of surprise was very likely lost, if there had been any intercept by one of our enemies or adversaries that could be conveyed to the Houthis. Correct?" Blumenthal asked.
"That's a little bit of a hypothetical question, but, I am thankful, as always, that we we protect our servicemen and women who are going into combat operation," Caine replied.
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Hirono questioned Caine with a similar hypothetical but went a step further and asked if he would "just let this matter drop," as she claimed the Trump administration is doing.
"It's really not a hypothetical. It is what is confronting this administration," Hirono said.
"Given the fact that the chairman and ranking member have asked for an investigation, I don't want to comment on the particulars," Caine relented as Hirono hounded for an answer. "I do want to stay at the strategic altitude and say that we should always preserve the element of surprise."
Reed proceeded to ask Ciane if he "were on that conversation" would he have "objected to the fact that it was being conducted on Signal?"
"Well, Senator, you know, I was not in that chat," Caine responded.
"I know that that's why I asked if you were," Reed said.
Caine asserted that he has "always communicated proper information in the proper channels."
Caine was tapped by Trump to replace Biden-appointed Gen. Charles Q. "C.Q." Brown Jr. after he was fired in February.
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The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a group of senior military officials who advise the president, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council on military matters. The JCS consists of the highest-ranking officers from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and National Guard, with the chairman serving as the highest principal military advisor.
The chairman is typically required to have served as a four-star general in charge of a military service branch or as a combatant commander, qualifications Caine does not possess. However, the president has the authority to waive these requirements if deemed necessary for national interests.
Caine's extensive Air Force military background includes serving as a decorated F-16 combat pilot and playing critical roles in special intelligence operations. Given the slim Republican majority, his full Senate confirmation would require near-unanimous support from Republican senators.