The White House has confirmed that a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat where US President Donald Trump’s top national security officials discussed plans for military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, received an invite on the encrypted messaging app Signal that included accounts labelled as National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Vice-President JD Vance.
Trump told reporters on Monday he was not aware that the sensitive information had been shared.
He told reporters: “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.”
Asking a reporter to clarify what the story was about, he added: “It [the story] couldn’t have been very effective. Because the attack [on the Houthis] was very effective I can tell you that.
“You’re telling me about it [the story] for the first time.”
Goldberg reported material in the text chain – which included defence secretary Pete Hegseth – “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing”.
National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and JD Vance laugh as Donald Trump speaks Oval Office meeting on March 13
Getty Images
The message to the group said the first wave would happen in the next two hours.
Goldberg added later that day he was sitting in his car in a supermarket parking lot, still unsure if the group chat was real or fake, when he looked on social media and saw reports of explosions in Yemen.
Then, Goldberg says, he went back to Signal and saw White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz post a message saying the operation was an “amazing job”.
It was not immediately clear if the specifics of the military operation were classified, but they often are.
At the very least, details are kept secure to protect service members and operational security.
America has conducted strikes against the Houthis since the militant group began targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023.
The National Security Council said in a statement that it was looking into how a journalist’s number was added to the chain in the Signal group chat.
Government officials have used Signal for organisational correspondence, but it is not classified and can be hacked.
Privacy and tech experts say the popular end-to-end encrypted messaging and voice call app is more secure than conventional texting.
The sharing of sensitive information comes as Hegseth’s office recently announced a crackdown on leaks, including the potential use of polygraphs on defence personnel to determine how reporters have received information.
The breach in protocol was swiftly condemned by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who called for a full investigation.
US carries out strikes on Yemen’s Houthis over its attacks on shipping in Red Sea
AP
“This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Schumer said.
On social media, ex-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton linked to the article along with an eyeball emoji and wrote: “You have got to be kidding me.”
In a statement, Senator Jack Reed, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “If true, this story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”
He said American lives are “on the line”, adding: “The carelessness shown by Trump’s Cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the Administration immediately.”
The handling of national defence information is strictly governed by law under the century-old Espionage Act, including provisions that make it a crime to remove such information from its “proper place of custody” even through an act of gross negligence.
The Justice Department in 2015 and 2016 investigated whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke the law by communicating about classified information with her aides on a private email server she set up, though the FBI ultimately recommended against charges and none were brought.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said: “This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing 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 troops or national security.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added: “As President Trump said, 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.”
