An unprecedented scandal has shaken the administration in Washington after reports emerged that secret conversations in the secure Situation Room may have been recorded and passed on to reporters from The New York Times.
Trump is furious that details of the war with Iran have become public. High-ranking officials are also nervous: they understand that every word spoken in closed rooms could soon appear in a compromising book.
The prolonged silence from the U.S. Department of Justice and its inability to identify the sources of the leaks raise a troubling question: does the president control what is happening in the White House, or is the administration paralyzed by hostile forces from within, wondered New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin in his piece. Reports of recordings are currently based on the concerns of White House officials: the very fact of recording conversations has not been confirmed.
According to emerging reports, the information is based on materials from several key meetings in the Situation Room. One of them took place on July 17, 2025, involving Vice President J.D. Vance, White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wiles, and White House Counsel David Warrington. At that meeting, the situation was described as a "huge problem," with discussions centered around the "Epstein files"—evidence of the administration's attempts to navigate between domestic political issues and national security crises. The July 17 meeting was dedicated to the White House's response to the publication of materials related to the Epstein case, rather than strategy regarding Iran.
Meetings about Iran revealed sharp and potentially compromising assessments from high-ranking officials. CIA Director John Ratcliffe called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for a "quick regime change in Tehran" a "farce," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio allegedly stated: "In other words, it's dog crap." Even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Keen expressed doubt about the Israeli plans, telling Trump: "Sir, this is standard procedure for the Israelis. They sell an illusion."
The White House has not publicly confirmed the accuracy of these quotes, nor has it issued any denial.
American commentator Michael Goodwin criticized the administration's actions: "The situation where details of the Iran strategy are leaking requires a criminal investigation. The fact that the U.S. Department of Justice has yet to say a word, despite the presence of high-ranking officials like Kash Patel at the meetings, is a staggering failure."
According to Goodwin, the White House's restraint may be explained by a reluctance to contribute to the sales of the book "Regime Change," but in doing so, the administration sacrifices national security and deals a political blow to the president. He emphasized that the book is published by Simon & Schuster, which has also released sharply critical works about Trump, and sees this as clear bias against the administration. Notably, the book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," is set to be released on June 23, 2026.
The case marks an escalation of tensions between the Trump administration and major American media. Goodwin pointed out that The New York Times' focus on Netanyahu's military plans serves the narrative that Israel "misled" Trump—a narrative that Goodwin condemns as containing anti-Semitic undertones.
In addition to the immediate damage to national security, commentators warned that the current crisis threatens the very stability of the administration. The loss of the ability to maintain secrecy in the Situation Room raises tough questions about the president's ability to control his own team.
In Washington, there are fears that the combination of daily leaks, the image of a chaotic administration, and the absence of an official investigation is turning the administration into a "lame duck." If the administration cannot find the sources of the leaks and restore the trust of intelligence agencies and U.S. allies, the cumulative political damage could paralyze the president's decision-making ability and irreparably undermine his public authority.
The publications began in April when an article titled "How Trump Led the U.S. to War with Iran" was released. The article detailed meetings between Netanyahu and Trump in minute detail. Strangely, the administration did not deny any of the quotes or details, leading to speculation that the sources of the leaks are at the highest levels. However, the absence of denials does not itself prove the existence of audio recordings or that the information comes from high-ranking sources: detailed dialogues could have been reconstructed from accounts of meeting participants.
The current situation reveals a deep polarization within American intelligence and government systems, where professional ranks feel comfortable leaking classified materials to serve a media narrative against the president. Meanwhile, the identities of the sources and the means of obtaining information have yet to be established.
