President Donald Trump’s attempt to discredit Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg has inadvertently put him in a tight spot. On Tuesday, Trump repeatedly insisted that no classified information was shared with Goldberg, even as the controversy surrounding a security breach continued to grow. His defiant responses may have set up his administration for potential legal issues, all while strengthening one of his most prominent critics.
The trouble began on Monday, when Goldberg published a report revealing that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had accidentally added him to a group chat with top U.S. officials discussing plans to strike Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month. The leak raised serious concerns about national security, with pro-Trump media scrambling to defend the breach. Ultimately, they landed on the argument that no classified information was involved.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was quick to shut down the idea that sensitive plans had been shared, saying, “Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.”
During a press event on Tuesday, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Trump if he would change any security practices after a reporter was added to the chat about the Yemen attacks. Trump responded, “There was no classified information, as I understand it,” while defending the operation’s success.
When Collins pressed further about the use of Signal, the encrypted messaging app, Trump added, “This was the best technology for the moment, but again, it wasn’t classified, so they probably viewed it as something that wasn’t that important, and obviously, with the attack being—I mean, I don’t know if it has been read out to you yet, but that attack was a tremendous success.”
Collins then asked who had decided that the information wasn’t classified. Trump avoided the question, asking for another.
This raises an important point: the president is the one who decides what’s classified. As seen in the Mar-a-Lago documents controversy, Trump has the final say. By insisting multiple times that the information wasn’t classified, Trump seemed to be sending a signal to Goldberg that the material could be made public.
Goldberg, however, pushed back strongly against Trump’s claims. In an interview on The Bulwark podcast, Goldberg was asked whether he should now release the information he had received, to prove it was classified. Goldberg rejected the idea, saying, “Just because [the administration is] irresponsible with material doesn’t mean that I’m going to be irresponsible with this material.”
He emphasized that, while there were ongoing conversations about handling the material, he was committed to protecting national security. Goldberg also mentioned that he would soon have a plan to vet the information publicly, but only after ensuring sensitive details, like the identity of CIA agents, remained protected.
If Trump’s claims are true and the information really isn’t classified, then Goldberg would have the legal right to share it.
Fox News host John Roberts pointed out the tension, saying, “The White House says it wasn’t classified, the Director of National Security, the Director of the CIA say the information wasn’t classified, and Hegseth says no war plans were discussed. So if Goldberg wants to prove Hegseth wrong, all he has to do is share that screen grab… but he hasn’t done that yet.”
Former Trump aide Alex Gray responded, “Put up or shut up,” adding that if Goldberg had the material, he should release it.
However, the pressure from pro-Trump media for Goldberg to share the information could easily backfire. If he does, it will vindicate his report. And if the details turn out to be classified, Trump’s administration could find itself in trouble for misleading the public or covering up a security breach.
Though some may doubt whether the Department of Justice will take action under Trump’s leadership, history has shown that cover-ups can lead to even bigger problems, as seen in the Watergate scandal.
In the end, Trump’s repeated attacks on Goldberg and his insistence that the information wasn’t classified may have unwittingly created a political and legal mess for himself, leaving his administration open to accusations of incompetence, security lapses, and hypocrisy.
Watch Goldberg’s interview below:
