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From the Wall Street Journal: Senior Trump administration national-security officials held detailed discussions of highly classified U.S. plans to launch airstrikes against the Houthis using a commercial messaging service and mistakenly included a journalist in the conversation, U.S. officials said Monday.
The chats over the Signal encrypted messaging service spanned days and included specific information about weapons, targets and timing used in the attack, according to the Atlantic magazine, whose editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in the discussion and who disclosed the texts.
National-security experts and former officials say that use of Signal for conducting classified discussions about imminent military action was a serious breach of security procedures governing the handling of sensitive defense information.
The Signal chat group discussed the planned strikes against the Houthis over a two-day period, and included 18 users, including national-security adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and a user believe to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes responded to the incident, saying, “At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”
In a report for The Atlantic around noon on Monday, Goldberg announced:
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
“U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling,” Goldberg also wrote.
American war planning usually takes place in highly secure facilities. But the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, @JeffreyGoldberg. https://t.co/jvBzeJwEuy
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 24, 2025
It is uncertain who added Goldberg’s number to the chat group, but he has now released screenshots of some of the texts to the public:
BREAKING
Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally included in a Signal group chat with top Trump administration officials, where top-secret war plans related to Yemen were shared.
Full Story: https://t.co/K737gsH35i pic.twitter.com/IKjKskWSfS
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 24, 2025
Incredible stuff https://t.co/ZPCh8u2FZx pic.twitter.com/oRemJ6fAcj
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) March 24, 2025
Pete Hegseth drunk texting reporters at The Atlantic pic.twitter.com/kvMV0SItT7
— Peter Twinklage (@PeterTwinklage) March 24, 2025
President Trump was asked about the situation by a report Monday afternoon. He said he had not yet heard about the debacle.
“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic, to me it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine…you’re telling me about it for the first time,” Trump said.
President Trump: “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic, to me it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine…you’re telling me about it for the first time.” pic.twitter.com/Jd1wG1WzVJ
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 24, 2025
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce was also asked about the breech during a press conference.
She refused to comment, referring the reporter to the White House.
REPORTER: Why were cabinet secretaries discussing a potential military operation on Signal, and why didn’t they notice a reporter?
STATE DEPT SPOX TAMMY BRUCE: We will not comment, and you should contact the White House
R: Shouldn’t Rubio comment?
BRUCE: Never would I comment… pic.twitter.com/EvrPtViqYr
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 24, 2025
Breaking: Senior Trump officials discussed classified plans to launch airstrikes against the Houthis on a commercial chat service and mistakenly included a journalist https://t.co/dySULDbEIj
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 24, 2025
Instead of questioning WHO added Goldberg to the chat, Democrats are raging against Trump administration as “amateurs.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote, “This is blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief. Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs. What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?”
This is blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief.
Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs.
What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too? https://t.co/voZY5a38tc
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 24, 2025
“NOTICE TO WHITE HOUSE STAFF: There is a room in the building and secure systems where you are supposed to have these discussions. SIGNAL ain’t it. Your recklessness put the lives of those pilots at risk. You got lucky! Time to reevaluate the way you are doing things,” wrote Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
NOTICE TO WHITE HOUSE STAFF: There is a room in the building and secure systems where you are supposed to have these discussions. SIGNAL ain’t it. Your recklessness put the lives of those pilots at risk. You got lucky! Time to reevaluate the way you are doing things. https://t.co/YqKr0SraWQ
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) March 24, 2025
Blaming it all on Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote, “Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in history, is demonstrating his incompetence by literally leaking classified war plans in the group chat… Hegseth and Trump are making our country less safe.”
Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in history, is demonstrating his incompetence by literally leaking classified war plans in the group chat…
Hegseth and Trump are making our country less safe.https://t.co/aamNQGjZeo
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 24, 2025
This is insane. Can’t imagine conducting a Principals Committee meeting and discussing a highly classified op plan on Signal. 👇🏽 https://t.co/PBJHwGxyVZ
— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) March 24, 2025
Pete Hegseth texting out war plans like invites to a frat party. https://t.co/vPqblS7znv
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) March 24, 2025
This recklessness puts our servicemembers in the Middle East at risk.
I will be demanding answers from this administration on how this happened and what their plan is to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
How can we trust this admin to keep GA safe when they’re this reckless? https://t.co/hhgIt1o6Vy
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) March 24, 2025
imagine if you will, Barack Obama’s Team (Rahm Emanuel, Joe Biden, and Valerie Jarrett) have a war planning group chat and include a reporter.
The Internet would’ve exploded and collapsed on itself. Cable news would be ablaze.
But it’s Team Trump — let’s see that same energy! https://t.co/iDOzzIvZUi
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) March 24, 2025
This is an outrageous national security breach and heads should roll. We need a full investigation and hearing into this on the House Armed Services Committee, ASAP.https://t.co/Q3q4EUZnfK pic.twitter.com/2BzRPvkNQE
— Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) March 24, 2025
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