Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally included in a group chat on Signal where top officials from the Trump administration discussed details of attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The group chat, which seemed to be meant for high-level national security discussions, was reportedly started by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive details, including the targets, weapons, and timing of the strikes—two hours before the attacks started on March 15.
Other officials in the chat included Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Goldberg wrote that Waltz contacted him on Signal on March 11, and two days later, Goldberg was added to a chain called the “Houthi PC small group.” In the chat, the officials discussed military strikes against the Houthi group, apparently unaware that Goldberg, a journalist, was in the conversation.
At first, Goldberg was skeptical that the chat was real. He wrote, “I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans.” He was also surprised that Waltz would include him in such a sensitive discussion.
Goldberg became more convinced the chat was real when someone posing as Hegseth sent a message about the first explosions in Yemen, which were set to happen in two hours. When the attacks occurred as planned, Goldberg realized that the information in the chat was legitimate.
Hegseth later explained that the surprise strikes, which hit several targets over three days, were part of a campaign to stop the Iran-backed group from attacking ships in the Red Sea, a critical global shipping route.
Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the National Security Council, confirmed that the message chain was real. He stated that the situation was being reviewed and called it an example of effective policy coordination, emphasizing that the strikes were successful and that no threats to troops or national security had occurred.
Goldberg also shared a timeline of the discussions leading up to the attacks. On March 13, Waltz instructed the group to assign points of contact for the next few days. The following day, March 14, Waltz said the group should prepare statements based on the president’s guidance, some of which were to be sent through secure systems.
While traveling in Michigan, Vice President Vance expressed concerns about the strikes, mentioning the potential risks, including the impact on oil prices and European trade. He suggested delaying the strikes to better explain the decision to the public.
However, Hegseth argued that messaging the public would be difficult no matter what and said the attack should proceed to avoid appearing indecisive. Vance eventually agreed.
The day before the strikes, on March 15, Hegseth sent operational details to the group, including information on the targets, weapons, and attack sequencing. Goldberg noted that while he couldn’t reveal all the specifics, the level of detail shared was startling.
Vance responded with a simple message: “I will say a prayer for victory.”
The breach of such sensitive information quickly drew harsh criticism. Some called out the administration for mishandling communications and pointed out the hypocrisy of Trump repeatedly criticizing Hillary Clinton for using a private email server for official business.
Matthew Miller, a former spokesperson for President Obama, tweeted, “In any other administration, there would be an immediate FBI investigation. There should be one here as well.”
Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) called the incident a “failure of operational security and common sense,” saying it could have put American lives at risk.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) criticized the officials for sharing sensitive information through insecure channels, saying, “There is no world in which this information should have been shared in non-secure channels.” He called for accountability and an explanation from Hegseth.
Even some Republican lawmakers were shocked by the mishap. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) described the incident as a “huge screw up” and said he hoped the intelligence community would investigate the matter.
For more details on the development, check out the report below from CNN:
