Key takeaways:

• Hillary Clinton criticizes the Trump administration for a Signal chat leak discussing military plans.
• She argues that unsecured communication endangers U.S. troops and highlights broader policy failures.
• Clinton emphasizes the need for a strategic approach combining military strength and diplomatic efforts.

In a recent opinion piece for The New York Times, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharply criticized the Trump administration regarding a communication leak involving military plans for a strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. This discussion was inadvertently exposed when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly included in the Signal chat by Trump’s National Security Adviser, leading Clinton to argue that this act "put our troops in jeopardy."

Clinton recalled her previous scrutiny over the use of a private email server while in office—an issue that garnered intense criticism from the same Republicans now downplaying the Signal scandal. She remarked, “It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity,” stressing that the situation reveals a blatant disregard for classified information and federal record retention laws.

Clinton highlighted several poor decisions made by the Trump administration, including the firing of personnel responsible for maintaining the nation’s nuclear arsenal and the abrupt cessation of international aid initiatives aimed at preventing pandemics. “In a dangerous and complex world, it’s not enough to be strong. You must also be smart,” she wrote, advocating for a combination of diplomatic strategies alongside military strength—a concept she termed "smart power."

Further, she warned of the implications such irresponsibility poses on America’s global position. "If America is ruled like a banana republic," she cautioned, "with flagrant corruption and a leader who puts himself above the law, we lose that argument.” This underscores her belief that America must leverage all forms of strength—military, diplomatic, economic, and cultural—to maintain its superpower status.

Clinton's critique serves not only as a condemnation of recent leaks but also as a broader call for a return to informed, strategic policymaking to avoid further alienation of allies and emboldening of adversaries.

For more details, visit the full article at Newsweek.