I have a fondness for Sheetz MTO food. It’s easy to get when you’re on the road plus there’s an opportunity to gas up your car and a fairly clean bathroom as part of the package. Their drinks are also very tasty and creative.

I was filling my latest hunger at my local Sheetz with a mobile order. The bag was sealed with a piece of tape that read “Your secrets are safe.” Of course, the order was on a receipt stapled to the bag, so….

Anyhow – the issue du jour is a series of messaging app discussions between a number of people high up in government being witnessed by a magazine editor-in-chief who had been mistakenly added to the group participating in the chat.

They weren’t supposed to be conducting this chat on an app or where some of them were physically located while the chat was taking place, but those points are being lost in the haze of finger pointing at the moment.

This morning after a day of administration officials denying that anyone broke the law or policy or did anything wrong and repeating that no classified information was in the chat, the magazine published the chat contents instead of just making a general description of what it contained.

Suffice to say if another country brings us into their confidence again soon, I will be surprised.

I have far more experience wishing things would go away than I do with handling classified information. My employer required all of us to take the training whether we needed it or not, so I have some awareness. I think I’m looking at a host of individuals who are practicing the clumsy art of wishing things would go away AND didn’t pay attention or didn’t complete the briefing that I’m sure they got when they started their current position.

Part of the training includes understanding what to do when there is a “spill” or accidental disclosure. Not if there is one, but when, because accidents happen. I hope someone is doing those things behind the scenes because it certainly isn’t happening in public.

It’s not going to go away no matter how much deflection they try. I hope against hope that there will be no tragedy that comes from this. It will probably get worse before it gets better.

In the meantime, Sheetz will keep any secrets I may have in the food department.