Donald Trump’s team is facing criticism following reports of a journalist being inadvertently added to an unsecured group chat discussing plans for a potential military strike.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, claims he was mistakenly included in a Signal message group with key Trump officials.
Goldberg stated the group chat included Vice-President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and it allegedly covered plans for U.S. military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
He mentioned receiving a connection request from someone who appeared to be White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, though he “did not assume that the request was from the actual Michael Waltz.”
Goldberg asserted that he saw classified military plans, “including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying,” two hours ahead of the strikes.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the BBC: “At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic. We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.
“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy co-ordination between senior officials.”
Goldberg expressed relief that he, and not a supporter of the Houthis, was added by mistake.
In an interview with PBS, he remarked: “If they were going to pick an errant phone number, I mean at least it wasn’t somebody who supported the Houthis, because they were actually handing out information that I believe could have endangered the lives of American service people who were involved in that operation.”
On Monday afternoon (March 26), Trump told reporters he was unaware of The Atlantic article.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement in response to the incident.
The statement read: “The attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective.
“President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.”
Despite claims of the operation’s success, politicians from both parties have expressed concern, with some calling for an investigation.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer described it as “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence that I have read about in a very, very long time.”
Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, mentioned plans for his panel to investigate the incident.
He commented, “It’s definitely a concern. It appears that mistakes were made.”