Trump ministers planned attack via messaging service: How top US politicians are reacting to the security scandal

Business Insider Trump ministers planned attack via messaging service: How top US politicians are reacting to the security scandal Matthew Loh • 3 hours • 4 minutes read US President Trump (center) knows nothing. Vice President J.D. Vance (left) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (right) were part of the controversial messaging group. A new report that a journalist was mistakenly added to a sensitive military discussion between top US politicians sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill and the White House on Monday. Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic reported that he was added to a Signal group chat on March 11, without explanation, to discuss the Trump administration's attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, which were carried out on March 16. Goldberg's report, published on Monday, states that the group was called the "Houthi PC small group" – where PC stands for Principals Committee. In his article, Goldberg describes in detail the exchanges between those involved in the chat – including exact times and original quotes. According to the report, both military tactics and political communication surrounding the planned strike against the Houthi militia in Yemen were discussed. Goldberg listed Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as other cabinet members and high-ranking government officials as group members. Goldberg's article also notes the sometimes informal tone of the chat participants in a military context. The journalist wrote that Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who allegedly included him in the group, used emojis to signal approval and fighting spirit: a clenched fist, a US flag, and a flame symbol. Particularly explosive: Two hours before the attacks began on March 15, Hegseth himself reportedly provided detailed information in the chat about targets, weapons systems, and the timing of the operation. Shortly thereafter, airstrikes actually began against Houthi militia positions in Yemen, which the US had recently reclassified as a foreign terrorist organization. At this point, Goldberg, who initially claimed to have been very skeptical, said he came to the conclusion that the group chat was not an elaborately staged fake. The National Security Council later confirmed to several news organizations that the chat group was authentic. Massive Security Breach The revelations in Goldberg's report have serious implications for operational security in the Trump administration and potentially at the Pentagon. Signal, an encrypted messaging app, is not a government-approved platform for the dissemination of intelligence or classified information. And the fact that Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of a magazine, participated in the group chat at all suggests a serious security breach. It's still unclear what led officials to mistakenly include him in the discussion. Goldberg reported that a Signal account belonging to White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had added him to the chat. When asked about The Atlantic's report on Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters he hadn't heard of the potential breach. "I don't know anything about it," he said. "I'm not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, it's a magazine going out of business. I don't think it's a good magazine. But I don't know anything about them." Hegseth denied the report during his Monday visit to the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. "Nobody has texted war plans, and that's all I have to say about that," he told reporters. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Trump administration is looking into the incident but defended Hegseth and Waltz. "Apparently, a phone number was inadvertently posted in this thread. They will look into it and make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. "What you saw, however, is that senior officials did their jobs well and precisely executed a plan," Johnson added. "This mission was a success; no one was endangered by it, and we're grateful for that. But they will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again." Asked whether Hegseth or Waltz should be disciplined for the incident, Johnson did not respond. Meanwhile, GOP Senator John Cornyn of Texas expressed alarm at the apparent violation. Cornyn told reporters he hoped the administration would investigate further and that "someone dropped the ball."