Allies of the United States see the group chat between top U.S. officials about a planned attack in Yemen that accidentally included a journalist as a jaw-dropping security breach which casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington and the security of joint military operations.

And members of Congress from both parties expressed concern, though the intensity differed by party.

“Scary” and “reckless” was the verdict of one European diplomat about the discussion on the Signal messaging app about strikes on Houthi rebels. Neil Melvin, a security expert at defense think tank the Royal United Services Institute, called it “pretty shocking.”

“It’s some of the most high-ranking U.S. officials seeming to display a complete disregard for the normal security protocols,” he said.

Beyond the security concerns raised by the leaked chat, U.S. officials addressed the country’s trans-Atlantic allies with disdain as Vice President JD Vance complained about “bailing out” Europe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “pathetic” European “freeloading.”

Melvin said that for America’s allies, “the alarm clock’s been ringing for a long time.”

Positive public face

In public, however, European officials insisted all was well in the trans-Atlantic relationship.

“We have a very close relationship with the U.S. on matters of security, defense and intelligence,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares. “They are our closest ally when it comes to these matters, have been for many years and will be for many years to come.”

France’s Foreign Ministry said “the United States is our ally, and France intends to continue its cooperation with Washington, as well as with all its allies and European partners, in order to address current challenges — particularly in the area of European security.”

Nathalie Loiseau, a member of the European parliament, told the BBC that she was “flabbergasted” by the breach.

“If I was (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, I would feel jobless. Russia has nothing more to do. … You don’t even need to spy on the U.S. administration. They leak by themselves,” she said.

Among the GOP

In the U.S., Republicans in control of Congress reacted with a collective shrug Tuesday to the revelation, even as Democrats expressed outrage and called for an investigation and resignations.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the Republican majority leader, told reporters that there were “errors in judgment” among the officials who took part.

He initially suggested it was up to the Trump administration to address them, but later appeared open to the possibility of the relevant Senate committees beginning their own inquiry.

Speaker Mike Johnson read directly from a White House press statement during a news conference on Capitol Hill and rejected the notion of firing Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, who had set up the group chat and included editor Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, who broke the story.

“(Waltz) was born for the job. He is highly qualified,” Johnson told reporters. “The president said he has total confidence in him, and we do as well.”

A few Republicans were more publicly critical.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called the chat “a mistake” that could have led to grave consequences, even as he defended Waltz as “the right guy” for his job.

“We dodged a bullet,” Graham said. “I hope we understand what happened and never do it again.”

Asked whether he agreed with the White House’s denial that “war plans” had been discussed in the chat or that classified information had been shared, Graham said the Intelligence Committee should “take a look at that in a bipartisan way.”

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chair of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would look into what had happened but provided no details.

“We are definitely concerned,” Wicker told reporters, adding that he and his committee were “considering our options.”

Democrats react

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said in a letter to President Donald Trump that Hegseth should be “fired immediately.”

“Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history,” Jeffries wrote in the letter. “His continued presence in the top position of leadership at the Pentagon threatens the nation’s security and puts our brave men and women in uniform throughout the world in danger.”

A handful of additional Democratic lawmakers called on Hegseth to resign. Some added that Waltz should, as well.

“Any Senate Republican who was up in arms years ago about emails and unsecured servers should be outraged by the secretary of defense’s carelessness,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, said during a speech on the floor. He was referring to the 2016 furor surrounding the revelation that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had used a private email account and server.

This report contains information from the Associated Press and New York Times.