Donald Trump had just nominated Fox TV’s Pete Hegseth as defence secretary. The question was rhetorical. It was obvious to both of us — and to almost everyone else outside the Mar-a-Lago bubble — that Trump had lit the fuse on a political bomb.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly had an unsecured internet line installed in his office that allows him to use his Signal messaging app on his personal computer, raising concerns that his communications could be vulnerable to hacking or monitoring by adversaries.