Trump officials accidentally text Atlantic journalist about military strikes in apparent security breach

The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was inadvertently included on a messaging chain of senior Trump officials that discussed plans for a forthcoming strike on the Houthis in Yemen.

Jeffrey Goldberg penned a first-person account of getting a connection request from what appeared to be Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on March 11 on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging service used by journalists and government officials. He accepted and was then added to a chat group called "Houthi PC Small Group," where he proceeded to see a series of top Trump officials discuss what turned out to be an upcoming attack on the Houthis, in what critics are calling a massive breach of national security.

Goldberg laid out how 18 members were listed in the group, including Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. What ensued in the following days was a discussion about attacking the Houthis, an Iran-backed terrorist group that's wreaked havoc on ships in the Red Sea and disrupted traffic through the critical Suez Canal.

The principals in the chat raised various concerns about the timing of the strikes, whether it was prudent to wait, and the security of the operation. Vance's account expressed skepticism about the attack, saying at one point he thought it was a mistake, and at another saying, "I just hate bailing Europe out again," alluding to European trade having far more skin in the game with the Suez Canal than the United States.

The following day, according to Goldberg, Hegseth posted highly sensitive information in the chat with operational details of future strikes. Goldberg said he would not print them, but he claimed an adversary with access to what was written could have harmed U.S. military or intelligence officials abroad. Goldberg said he learned the timing of the Yemen strikes on March 15 from the Signal posts.

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Trump officials accidentally text Atlantic journalist about military strikes in apparent security breach

In a major security breach, top Trump officials discussed a military strike on Yemen on a private messaging chain that inadvertently included the editor of The Atlantic.

www.foxnews.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

 

[Ronnie]

Hegseth: "You're talking about a deceitful and highly-discredited so-called journalist who has made a profession of peddling hoaxes... this is a guy who peddles in garbage."

 

[1LoverofGod]

White House probes how a reporter was looped into top-secret online discussion of Houthi airstrikes​

The White House on Monday ordered an inquiry into how a journalist was added to a senior-level encrypted group chat that discussed the recent U.S. military strikes against the Houthi forces in Yemen.

Included in the Signal messaging app group were Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz among other top White House officials. However, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, also was privy to the details of the March 15 bombing attack at least two hours before the mission was launched.

“The reason I know 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,” Mr. Goldberg wrote Monday in an article for The Atlantic.

Reporters at the White House asked President Trump about the security lapse.

“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic,” Mr. Trump said. “You’re telling me about it for the first time.”

The Pentagon referred questions about the security breach to the White House. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the message thread included in Mr. Goldberg’s article appears to be authentic.

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White House probes how a reporter was looped into top-secret online discussion of Houthi airstrikes

The White House on Monday ordered an inquiry into how the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine was added to a senior-level encrypted group chat that discussed the recent U.S. military strikes against the Houthi forces in Yemen.

m.washingtontimes.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

White House Confirms Hegseth, Waltz & Co. Accidentally Leaked War Planning To Journalist​

The White House confirmed to the Daily Caller on Monday that President Donald Trump’s national security team accidentally leaked war plans to The Atlantic in a group chat.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told the Caller that at the time of publication they believed the messages were authentic and that they were investigating how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.

“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 our service members or our national security,” Hughes said in a statement provided to the Caller.

White House Confirms Hegseth, Waltz & Co. Accidentally Leaked War Planning To Journalist

The White House confirmed to the Daily Caller on Monday that President Donald Trump's national security team accidentally leaked war plans to The Atlantic.

dailycaller.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

Trump weighs firing Waltz over alleged leak of US Houthi strike plans​

President Donald Trump has been considering firing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz from his position after it was reported that Waltz had leaked information on US Houthi strikes in a private messaging chat, according to a Monday Politico report.

It is still uncertain if Waltz will be fired from his position as the national security advisor, according to the Politico report.
The report said that White House officials claimed Trump would make the decision on whether to fire Waltz over the next day or two.

US official response to the leak ​

Further, the report noted that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also remarked on her belief that Trump continues to support Waltz.

"President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz,” she reportedly said in a Monday statement.

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson told Politico that Waltz should not resign, according to the report.

Complete Article

Trump weighs firing Waltz over alleged leak of US Houthi strike plans - report

“Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f**king idiot," one official said.

m.jpost.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

Trump not planning to fire Waltz after national security text chain leak​

President Donald Trump is not planning to fire national security advisor Mike Waltz in the wake of The Atlantic's reporting of an apparent national security breach, Fox News has learned.

A source close to the president told Fox News that Waltz's job is safe and that he is not on the chopping block.
Fox News is told Waltz has no plans to resign and is sticking to his schedule Tuesday. He will be talking to his Russian counterpart about a Black Sea ceasefire deal and has plans to speak to Trump as usual later Tuesday.

"Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man," Trump reportedly said in a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday.

Trump reportedly said that Goldberg's addition to the chat with high-level Cabinet officials had "no impact at all" on the U.S. operation against the Houthis in Yemen.

Trump not planning to fire Waltz after national security text chain leak

National security advisor Mike Waltz's job is not in jeopardy after The Atlantic's reported a security breach on a Signal text chain with Cabinet officials.

www.foxnews.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

Trump not planning to fire Waltz after national security text chain leak​

President Donald Trump is not planning to fire national security advisor Mike Waltz in the wake of The Atlantic's reporting of an apparent national security breach, Fox News has learned.

A source close to the president told Fox News that Waltz's job is safe and that he is not on the chopping block.
Fox News is told Waltz has no plans to resign and is sticking to his schedule Tuesday. He will be talking to his Russian counterpart about a Black Sea ceasefire deal and has plans to speak to Trump as usual later Tuesday.

"Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man," Trump reportedly said in a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday.

Trump reportedly said that Goldberg's addition to the chat with high-level Cabinet officials had "no impact at all" on the U.S. operation against the Houthis in Yemen.

Trump not planning to fire Waltz after national security text chain leak

National security advisor Mike Waltz's job is not in jeopardy after The Atlantic's reported a security breach on a Signal text chain with Cabinet officials.

www.foxnews.com

. Even if the leak didn't impact the Yemen operation, it's still a national security problem and it should have been acknowledged as such, even if it was decided to not discipline Waltz.

 

[Andy C]

I cant use the actual quote on this forum, but a famous quote from Forest Gump would be appropriate

They are holding a hearing in congress, so it is being taken seriously.

 

[Andy C]

. Even if the leak didn't impact the Yemen operation, it's still a national security problem and it should have been acknowledged as such, even if it was decided to not discipline Waltz.

I would not call this a “National security” threat, as it would likely not meet the criteria for such. It is a huge mistake, actions will be taken to prevent further mistakes.

 

[1LoverofGod]

I'm reading other media sources on this situation and I don't understand why there's discrepancy.
Some reports say that the White House had "confirmed" that the chat about the Yemen plans did happen, but that it didn't impact the operation.
Trump was quoted saying that "Waltz learned his lesson" and isn't considering firing him.
Even the White House Press Secretary and The House Speaker didn't deny it happened but just said "The President support's Walz" and "Walz shouldn't resign".
Those comments aren't saying the leak never happened, but indicate that Walz has support from the Administration.

But now the White House Press Secretary is stating that the report about that chat leak didn't happen, but is a "sensationalist story".
That journalist got the chat conversation somehow.

If the journalist didn't get the content of that chat, what lesson is it that Walz learned?


I think what the White House is saying is while that chat did happen and that journalist was included in the contacts to join the chat, is that in the conversation specific "plans" weren't discussed.
If this is the case, it's still problematic that the journalist got into the chat by a "glitch" because obviously it wasn't known to those who were in the conversation that the journalist was in the chat and could have discussed more security issues that might have impacted the operation.
If this was the "only glitch in two months", it's still a glitch that needs to be taken care of so it doesn't happen again.


From the New York Post today.....

“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president told NBC News in a brief interview Tuesday.

Trump, 78, added that the addition of Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group that included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “no impact at all” on the outcome of the March 15 airstrikes, which the president described as “perfectly successful.”

“The only glitch in two months,” the president said, “and it turned out not to be a serious one.”

From the Gateway Pundant today......

White House Blasts “Sensationalist” Reporting Over Group Chat Leak: ‘No War Plans, No Leaks’​

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X to dismantle Goldberg’s narrative, labeling him as a ‘well-known purveyor of sensationalist spin.’

“Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts about his latest story:

1. No “war plans” were discussed.

2. No classified material was sent to the thread.

3. The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible.

As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread.

Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump.”

White House Blasts “Sensationalist” Reporting Over Group Chat Leak: 'No War Plans, No Leaks' | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft

The White House strongly counters allegations from a recent report claiming sensitive military discussions occurred in a group chat, asserting no classified information was shared and criticizing the media's portrayal of the incident.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

Original Post by
The Washington Examiner

The flagrant flouting of operational security rules lands Waltz and Hegseth in the hot seat and raises many questions​

A MINDBOGGLING MISSTEP: As blunders go, this one is a doozy. But let’s be clear at the outset, the mistake by national security adviser Mike Waltz was not accidentally adding a journalist to a classified text message discussion. It was a violation of the most basic operational security precautions by conducting a group chat about real-world, real-time war plans over a commercial messaging app, Signal.

The 18 people on the group chat were most of the nation's top defense and intelligence officials, albeit many with little or no experience at their jobs. They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vice President J.D. Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, who appeared to be joining the encrypted text chain from Moscow.

But the most damning revelation is that, according to Goldberg, Hegseth, the neophyte defense secretary, made another rookie mistake when he shared detailed targeting plans on the unauthorized Signal chat.

Complete Article

MSN

 

[mattfivefour]

IGNORANCE, ARROGANCE, OR DECEPTION? One overriding question hanging over the whole stupefyingly boneheaded blunder is why, when everyone in the group chat knew or should have known that it violated clear proposals, no one objected or suggested moving the discussion to a secure venue.

This is what causes me to scratch my head, too.

 

[1LoverofGod]

Trump reveals who was behind Signal text chain leak​

President Donald Trump revealed that a staffer with national security advisor Mike Waltz's office included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic in a Signal group chat with senior Trump officials who were discussing plans for an upcoming strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

"It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there," Trump told NBC in a phone interview when asked how Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic's editor-in-chief, was added to the high-profile chat.

Trump reveals who was behind Signal text chain leak

President Donald Trump revealed a staffer with national security advisor Mike Waltz's office added the editor in chief of the Atlantic to a Signal group chat.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Hol]

They are holding a hearing in congress, so it is being taken seriously.

It was a pre scheduled hearing. Goldberg didn’t learn anything on the call to warn the Houthis, so maybe he dropped his story timed to bring division in Trump’s cabinet and raise doubts in Americans?

I don’t have the timeline, but the bombing in Yemen was over before the story came out.

 

[Andy C]

It was a pre scheduled hearing. Goldberg didn’t learn anything on the call to warn the Houthis, so maybe he dropped his story timed to bring division in Trump’s cabinet and raise doubts in Americans?

I don’t have the timeline, but the bombing in Yemen was over before the story came out.

Yes. The Dem controlled media, and the Dems in congress are exploiting this.

Security of the troops was never at risk.

 

[Andy C]

This story is a big nothing burger, released by a “gotcha” reporter. Another “Russian” hoax like story.

 

[1LoverofGod]

Just that this journalist got accidentally into the Signal chat is a national security problem. The President said it was a glitch. That journalist was in the chat whether the content he said happened or not.
The Signal chat is encrypted for a reason.
This accident has to be addressed so nobody can accidentally get into the chat that's for security conversation among the departments that involve national security. This time, this glitch didn't impact the operation with Yemen. What about next time of these accidents happen again?

 

[1LoverofGod]

Just that this journalist got accidentally into the Signal chat is a national security problem. The President said it was a glitch. That journalist was in the chat whether the content he said happened or not.
The Signal chat is encrypted for a reason.
This accident has to be addressed so nobody can accidentally get into the chat that's for security conversation among the departments that involve national security. This time, this glitch didn't impact the operation with Yemen. What about next time of these accidents happen again?

Maybe begin with replacing Walz's staffer who invited this leftist journalist into the chat on accident?
Why would this staffer have a leftist journalist in his contacts?

 

[Andy C]

Just that this journalist got accidentally into the Signal chat is a national security problem. The President said it was a glitch. That journalist was in the chat whether the content he said happened or not.
The Signal chat is encrypted for a reason.
This accident has to be addressed so nobody can accidentally get into the chat that's for security conversation among the departments that involve national security. This time, this glitch didn't impact the operation with Yemen. What about next time of these accidents happen again?

It is being addressed, and it’s not a National security threat. The mistake has been corrected.