Turner spoke a few hours after Democrats used a U.S. Senate hearing to blast top intelligence officials, with some demanding the resignation of Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth and White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz.
“They’re talking about the timing of U.S. air strikes,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff,D-Georgia. “That wasn’t a huge mistake?”
After at first refusing to even confirm she was on the text chain, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — and then CIA Director John Ratcliffe — said no classified matters were revealed in the texts.
Many lawmakers found that hard to believe, as Turner said there were no legitimate excuses for what had happened.
“It was very clear as to what the consequences could have been if this information had been leaked prior to or during the military operation,” Turner said in an interview off the House floor. “It would have been grave.”
While the CIA director said that use of the Signal encrypted app was standard at the spy agency, Turner said that should never be a choice for U.S. intelligence officers at any level.
“Signal is not secure — I do not use such encrypted apps,” Turner said, arguing it gives a “false sense of security.”
The Ohio Republican was also unhappy with one part of the text chain that was published this week by The Atlantic, which revealed strong criticism of European allies by both Defense Secretary Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.
“For JD Vance to raise the issue of Europe is completely irrelevant,” Turner said.
“I just hate bailing Europe out again,” the account attributed to Vance texted in the materials released by The Atlantic, whose editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was somehow included in the messages about attacks on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen this month.
Vance’s anger aimed at Europe was roundly endorsed by the account identified as Hegseth.
“I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC,” wrote the Hegseth account.
The questions are expected to continue Wednesday, as the same officials go before the House Intelligence Committee.
Turner said no one should downplay this incident.
“If you were a member of Congress and did what they did, you would be subject to both ethical and perhaps legal consequences,” Turner said.
“This should never happen.”
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