Rachel Abrams

And just given how aggressive this administration has been toward the press generally, I just wonder if you think you might be the only one, ironically, that could face any punishment from this.

I got to push back on you because every journalist at a major institution right now is thinking about whether or not the administration is going to be more aggressive with its journalists. And when you are in the position that you found yourself, you are consulting with people like at The Atlantic.

I got to push back on you because every journalist at a major institution right now is thinking about whether or not the administration is going to be more aggressive with its journalists. And when you are in the position that you found yourself, you are consulting with people like at The Atlantic.

Every major news organization has teams of lawyers, has people to talk to when you find yourselves in situations where you're wondering – What should I do next? Are there any legal consequences? And you had mentioned earlier that people could deduce why you left that chat ultimately. And I respect the fact that you can't go into the details.

Every major news organization has teams of lawyers, has people to talk to when you find yourselves in situations where you're wondering – What should I do next? Are there any legal consequences? And you had mentioned earlier that people could deduce why you left that chat ultimately. And I respect the fact that you can't go into the details.

But I do want to ask you whether part of the reason why you left was that you were concerned you could get in trouble for it. Like, were you worried at all that you had stayed in that chat too long? And not just you, the people that you're talking to at The Atlantic that presumably you're getting advice from.

But I do want to ask you whether part of the reason why you left was that you were concerned you could get in trouble for it. Like, were you worried at all that you had stayed in that chat too long? And not just you, the people that you're talking to at The Atlantic that presumably you're getting advice from.

I understand. And obviously, at the end of the day, The Atlantic published your story. And I just want to zoom out for a second because, as we mentioned earlier, you have covered foreign policy for decades. You have covered a lot of White Houses.

I understand. And obviously, at the end of the day, The Atlantic published your story. And I just want to zoom out for a second because, as we mentioned earlier, you have covered foreign policy for decades. You have covered a lot of White Houses.

And I assume that this is not the first time that you have had to weigh the public interest in publishing information that could be embarrassing or that the government doesn't want you to publish. This is not the first time that you've weighed that against national security risks. And clearly—

And I assume that this is not the first time that you have had to weigh the public interest in publishing information that could be embarrassing or that the government doesn't want you to publish. This is not the first time that you've weighed that against national security risks. And clearly—

You decided that the story was worth publishing in the public interest to know how national security leaders are flouting security protocols. And I'm wondering, as you're sitting here now at 1141 a.m. on Tuesday, how are you thinking about this calculation? Do you think that we're safer now knowing what you reported?

You decided that the story was worth publishing in the public interest to know how national security leaders are flouting security protocols. And I'm wondering, as you're sitting here now at 1141 a.m. on Tuesday, how are you thinking about this calculation? Do you think that we're safer now knowing what you reported?

I guess the answer to my question depends on if they actually do anything.

I guess the answer to my question depends on if they actually do anything.

Do you think that this event was so egregious that it'll break through just actually just to regular people? Or is this going to be kind of the same thing that we're so used to, which is one side gets very upset, the other side tries to dismiss it, downplay it until it eventually goes away? Like, is this so bad that it'll break through to the immunity people feel to claims of hypocrisy?

Do you think that this event was so egregious that it'll break through just actually just to regular people? Or is this going to be kind of the same thing that we're so used to, which is one side gets very upset, the other side tries to dismiss it, downplay it until it eventually goes away? Like, is this so bad that it'll break through to the immunity people feel to claims of hypocrisy?

But if it does get brushed off, like, what does that say to you?

But if it does get brushed off, like, what does that say to you?

Jeffrey, I want to thank you very much for your time.