Hoekstra -- the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee -- told The Press he is not sorry for providing the online updates.
But some say the "transparency" the Holland lawmaker said he was giving his constituents by posting updates could have revealed his precise whereabouts.
A former Michigan official who served as Iraq's health adviser disagrees and defended Hoekstra.
James Haveman, a Holland-area resident and former Michigan health director who spent 11 months in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, said the updates have been "blown way out of proportion."
"He wasn't giving clues to any insurgents, there's no security breech in that (Twitter) stuff," said Haveman, who was in Baghdad the day a United Nations compound blew up and killed 22, and lived in a trailer surrounded by sandbags to protect against mortar attacks.
"When a (congressional delegation) moves, there's no secret about them moving," Haveman said. "You've got an entourage of 10 cars, you have two Apache helicopters overhead, you've got tanks, you've got ambulances and people are not to assume that's a VIP?"
"I felt safer driving by myself," he said.
Twitter is a Web site that enables a person to broadcast short text updates, called "tweets," using a phone or computer. The updates are published on their online Twitter page and sent directly to anyone who signs up to receive them.
The flap over Hoekstra's updates began last Friday with a report in trade publication Congressional Quarterly, that said the trip was supposed to be a secret until the group left. The story accused Hoekstra of breaking a news embargo several media outlets agreed to by posting to the micro-blogging Web site.
"I take the issue of secrecy very, very seriously," Hoekstra said. "I know how to do this stuff. I've done intel now for almost 10 years."
But Hoekstra, who has decried the unauthorized leaking of classified information, provided far more details than a general itinerary, including at least a 12-hour heads-up that he was headed to Iraq.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Cdr. Darryn James said it is general Defense Department policy not to disclose details of congressional delegations until they reach their destination. The Pentagon now is reviewing whether it needs to communicate that policy differently in light of technologies like Twitter, he said.
James could not immediately confirm whether Hoekstra had been told specifically not to provide location updates.
"In general, we do brief all the codels (congressional delegations) on the risk," he said.
Hoekstra said documents for the trip were not classified, and he notes that previous trips to Iraq have been previewed in The Press when he asked folks to sign banners he took to troops.
"(House Majority Leader) Nancy Pelosi was there in May and she did a press conference," Hoekstra said.
The Congressional Quarterly report said, "Nobody expected, though, that a lawmaker with such an extensive national security background would be the first to break the silence. And in such a big way."
It quoted several "tweets" from Hoekstra that said "Just landed in Baghdad. I believe it may be first time I've had bb (Blackberry) service in Iraq. 11th trip here." (sic)
"Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace. Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here." (sic)
Hoekstra said there was nothing in those updates that endangered him, or other lawmakers.
"It doesn't say I'm arriving at the embassy at ten of five and this is the road I'm taking," Hoekstra said. "I think the bad guys already knew there was Blackberry service and my guess is they probably already knew the Iraqi flag was flying over the palace."
Hoekstra said he did not post as many updates after the delegation left the international green zone and entered the more dangerous areas of Iraq, where Blackberry service was less reliable anyway.
"I didn't Twitter that because that's a different environment," Hoekstra said.
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