Security Breach: Journalist Added to Secret Military Chat on Yemen Strikes
Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic was inadvertently added to a military group chat discussing airstrikes on Houthi targets, raising serious national security concerns.
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There is a great deal of uncertainty about what fate might befall President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz following allegations that he accidentally included an anti-Trump polemicist in a private high-level group chat discussing war plans.
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A national security council spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the Signal group to The Atlantic, saying, "We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain."
Trump defends national security chief Waltz after Signal texts about Houthi strike sent to reporter
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Even if not officially classified, such information is typically treated as highly sensitive to protect U.S. personnel and preserve operational integrity.
Trump defends Mike Waltz: 'He's a good man'
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Trump added that he believes the episode has been his administration’s “only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one.”
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There can be no denying that responsibility for the security breach must rest with the principals who actually used Signal on their cell phones to discuss highly classified matters.
The ‘Houthi PC small group’ chat and the tragedy that was barely averted
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In one of the second Trump administration’s first major scandals, Waltz added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, to a Signal chat with nearly 20 top administration officials.
Trump stands by Waltz after Houthi group chat leak
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Hegseth is facing questions from members of Congress of both parties on the details he posted to Signal, which is a commercial app and is not classified.
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The Atlantic’s story sent shockwaves across Washington on Monday.
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The result is a very — and increasingly — sloppy first two months, by any objective measure.
Analysis: Trump’s shocking military plan leak epitomizes a sloppy operation
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Washington DC is still digesting a serious security breach at the heart of the Trump administration.
Signal war plans chat: Five takeaways from leaked US top military meeting
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As the incident continues to generate controversy, lawmakers are reacting.
Sensitive US Military Plans Leaked to Media Through Group Text on Messaging App
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The stupidity and recklessness that had to be behind coordinating highest-level policy on a platform like Signal — which is not approved for sensitive or classified government communications — and, apparently, on personal cellphones, reaches world record levels.
'Hire clowns, expect a circus': Leaked chat exposes 'stupidity and recklessness'
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Goldberg hit back after Hegseth poured cold water on the editor’s reporting, arguing that sensitive “war plans” were not being discussed in the Signal chat group and that the editor had a history of being “deceitful” and was “highly discredited.”
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WH: No 'War Plans,' Classified Info Discussed During Group Chat
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The incident has prompted accusations by critics of the Trump administration that senior officials were guilty of a major security breach.
Yemen war plans: What did Trump aides leak to The Atlantic in Signal chat?
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But Republicans largely dodged questions Monday about launching a congressional investigation, though many said they wanted a briefing.
Capitol agenda: GOP defends Waltz after war plans group chat
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Broadly, the administration’s policies on Europe are coming into focus.
Stunning Signal leak reveals depths of Trump administration’s loathing of Europe
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Top US officials weigh in on the unprecedented security leak to The Atlantic
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The lax attitude to national security secrets comes straight from the top, although the president wasn’t involved in the chat reported by Goldberg.
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This debacle requires a full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created, and how we can avoid it in the future, if our nation’s military secrets are being held around over unsecured text chains.
Hegseth Says ‘Nobody Was Texting War Plans’ in Alleged Group Chat Leak
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These actions could have compromised the operational security of, and by implication the safety of the service members involved in, the related military activities.
Top national security Democrats demand answers on Pete Hegseth's leak of war plans
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What I do think this shows is a level of recklessness.
Jeffrey Goldberg on the Group Chat That Broke the Internet
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The defense secretary's outright "nuh-uh" was slightly more composed than the response from President Donald Trump.
"Nobody was texting war plans": Hegseth denies Yemen leaks, calls Atlantic editor "garbage-peddler'
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The security breach led to bipartisan calls for an investigation.
Defense Sec. Hegseth shared military plans in group chat, calls for investigation
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The carelessness shown by President Trump's cabinet is stunning and dangerous.
Lawmakers demand investigation into group chat on Trump administration's war plans
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The initial invite to the group apparently came from national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Hegseth says ‘nobody was texting war plans’ after group chat breach
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Arguably, the officials got lucky they added Goldberg, who withheld certain details of the messages in the name of national security.
The viral story of Trump’s team texting war plans to a journalist, briefly explained
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Using Signal in this way may have violated US law.
Trump administration accidentally texted secret bombing plans to a reporter
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The sharing of sensitive information comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office has just announced a crackdown on leaks of sensitive information, including the potential use of polygraphs on defense personnel to determine how reporters have received information.
Trump Team Talk War Plan Over Group Chat
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Trump officials texted war plans to a group chat in a secure app that included a journalist
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The revelation sparked outrage and disbelief, including from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was dogged by criticism of her use of a private email server while at the State Department in the days before the 2016 presidential election that she lost to Trump.
Messages with Yemen war plans inadvertently shared with reporter appears 'authentic': Official
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U.S. military units struck more than 30 targets in Yemen over several days earlier this month as part of an ongoing campaign targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a terrorist group that has halted international shipping for more than a year.
Top Trump officials accidentally shared war plans with media
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Summary
A national security breach has arisen involving Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, who was mistakenly added to a military Signal chat discussing strikes against Yemen's Houthi targets. This high-level group, which included Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, debated the operational details just hours before the airstrikes. Vance expressed concerns about U.S. interests in the strike, suggesting that it mainly benefits Europe. Despite this, President Trump downplayed the breach, attributing it to a staff error and stating there was no impact on the military operation. Calls for accountability and investigations have intensified.
Perspectives
The National Security Council is investigating how a journalist's number was mistakenly included in a group chat discussing military operations in Yemen, raising serious concerns about operational security protocols. The use of Signal, an unapproved app for classified discussions, highlights significant flaws in communication practices and a lack of vigilance regarding national security. The incident has been characterized as an extraordinary breach of security by senior officials, prompting calls for accountability to avoid jeopardizing safety in military operations.
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