Rep. Jimmy Panetta, currently serving California’s 19th district in the U.S. Congress, has expressed strong opinions regarding the handling of classified information and its implications for national security through a series of tweets on March 26, 2025.
In his first tweet, Rep. Panetta emphasized the importance of safeguarding classified information, which is taught to every member of the military from their initial training. He criticized the Secretary of Defense by stating: “Every man and woman who wears the uniform is taught the importance of safeguarding classified information from their first day of training. You would hope our Secretary of Defense would understand this.”
In another tweet posted shortly after, he addressed parents with children serving abroad, expressing concern over their safety due to what he described as administrative recklessness: “Mothers and fathers whose sons and daughters are serving abroad at this moment should be very angry. Our servicemembers’ safety, and the safety of countless others, was compromised by the Administration’s recklessness.”
Finally, Rep. Panetta called for accountability across party lines in response to what he termed a security breach. He urged his colleagues in Congress to advocate for armed forces personnel: “My colleagues across the aisle, especially those who served, should be standing up for accountability, against this security breach, and for our men and women in the armed forces.”
