A major national security breach sent shockwaves through the Trump administration on Monday after senior officials accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a Signal group chat discussing classified US military plans targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The encrypted chat, created by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, featured high-ranking figures including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The group was actively coordinating US airstrikes on Houthi positions, which were executed on March 15, resulting in the deaths of 53 people.
The conversation revealed operational details about the strike—including plans that were meant to remain highly confidential.
Goldberg, a longtime Trump critic, was added to the chat hours before the strike, but chose not to publish the sensitive content until after the attack in order to avoid compromising national security. However, the very fact that he received the information has ignited a firestorm in Washington.
According to his story published in the magazine’s March 24 edition–entitled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans—Goldberg remained in the chat to observe what was said.
What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.”
In the leaked chat, an account believed to be Vice President JD Vance expressed concern about the timing of the strikes and warned about possible spikes in oil prices and public confusion over the operation.
Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake…3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.
I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.
There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.
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Vance questioned the coherence of the administration’s foreign policy—especially given President Trump’s critical stance on European entanglements—yet ultimately agreed to support the operation. He suggested delaying the action for a month to allow for better public messaging, an idea overruled by Defense Secretary Hegseth, who insisted on proceeding for strategic reasons, particularly to secure vital shipping lanes.
The account attributed to Hegseth replied:
VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.
[W]aiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza cease fire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms. We can manage both.
“We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should. This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which Biden cratered. But, we can easily pause. And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC…I welcome other thoughts.
After reviewing these communications, Goldberg determined that the chat was authentic and removed himself, remarking in his article that no one seemed to have noticed that he was included in the first place.
“No one in the chat had seemed to notice that I was there,” he wrote. “And I received no subsequent questions about why I left—or, more to the point, who I was.”
The National Security Council has confirmed the authenticity of the messages and is reviewing internal communication protocols.
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” said National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”
The leak has triggered outrage across party lines. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for investigations into how a journalist was included in discussions of imminent military action, and how classified communications were being shared on an unapproved messaging app.
Congressional committees are now preparing to launch formal inquiries. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are questioning the administration’s reliance on private encrypted apps like Signal for discussing sensitive national security matters, and whether adequate safeguards are in place.
Investigations are ongoing to determine how Goldberg was mistakenly added to the group chat and what systemic issues allowed for such a lapse.
President Trump denied any prior knowledge of the leak, instead lashing out at The Atlantic, saying the publication is “not much of a magazine.”
“I don’t know anything about it. You’re telling me about it for the first time,” he 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
The Trump administration has instead turned focus to the success of the operations in Yemen.
“As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.”
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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