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Trump officials mistakenly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a classified Signal group chat, revealing details of US military strikes on Yemen's Houthis.
Senior officials in US President Donald Trump's administration mistakenly included a journalist in a sensitive group chat on the Signal messaging app, inadvertently revealing details of an impending military operation against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the classified Signal group, named "Houthi PC small group," just before the US launched airstrikes against Houthi targets. The chat included high-level discussions on the attack, with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz coordinating the US response to Houthi aggression.
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According to Goldberg, the group had 18 participants. Some of the members identified themselves as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine envoy Steve Witkoff, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller.
Goldberg noted that his own initials appeared as “JG” in the chat, giving him access to internal discussions regarding the timing and strategic implications of the strikes.
. Hegseth on : "You're talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again...This is a guy who peddles in garbage...Nobody was texting war plans and that's all I have to say." pic.twitter.com/IEYyMPYQBz
— CSPAN (@cspan)Leaked messages from the group chat revealed that some officials were hesitant about the operation’s timing. Vance, who was attending an economic event in Michigan, voiced concerns, saying: "Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake. 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."
Joe Kent, Trump’s nominee for the National Counterterrorism Center, agreed, stating, “There is nothing time sensitive driving the timeline. We'll have the exact same options in a month.”
After Secretary Hegseth argued “nobody was texting war plans," The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg responds: “That’s a lie. He was texting war plans, he was texting attack plans."
"When targets were going to targeted. How they were going to be targeted. Who was at the targets. When… pic.twitter.com/cKYh5NOIW7
Goldberg disclosed that he "had hours of advance notice" before the strikes commenced. He revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had inadvertently sent him the war plan at 11:44 a.m., detailing the precise weapons packages, targets, and attack timing.
"I knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing," the veteran journalist wrote in his website.
The strikes were launched at approximately 1:45 p.m. Eastern time, with explosions reported in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.
Following the attack, officials exchanged congratulatory messages in the group chat.
Waltz praised the “amazing job,” while CIA Director John Ratcliffe described the strike as "A good start." Secretary of State Marco Rubio, identified in the chat as "MAR," commended Hegseth’s efforts, stating, "Good Job Pete and your team!!"
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also lauded the operation, writing, "Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless."
Goldberg, 65, has been with The Atlantic since 2007, becoming its editor-in-chief in 2016. Under his leadership, the publication won its first Pulitzer Prizes. A veteran journalist, he has previously worked with The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Magazine.
Goldberg also has experience covering the Middle East and once served in the Israel Defense Forces.
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