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Top Trump administration officials mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal messaging group intended for discussing military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said he was accidentally included in the group chat called the “Houthi PC small group,” which was meant for high-level coordination among White House officials.
According to Goldberg, the accidental inclusion happened after National Security Adviser Mike Waltz sent him a connection request on the Signal app on March 11, which he accepted.
On March 13, Goldberg found himself added to the group chat, where Waltz messaged about establishing a “principles group” to coordinate action on the Houthis over the next 72 hours. The message also indicated that Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, was assembling a “tiger team” to handle operational planning.
Goldberg claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance were part of the chat and discussed sensitive details regarding upcoming strikes on Yemen. He alleged that Hegseth’s messages included information about targets, weapons, and attack sequencing, details that, if exposed to adversaries, could put American personnel at risk.
The revelation has prompted backlash from lawmakers. Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO) described the incident as “total incompetence,” while Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) stated the administration was being reckless with classified information. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) labeled the situation a “huge screw-up,” adding, “Somebody dropped the ball.”
When approached for comment, President Donald Trump distanced himself from the incident, saying, “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… but I know nothing about it.” A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on the alleged conversations, referring reporters to the White House.
In response to Goldberg’s report, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth firmly denied the allegations, stating, “Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.” Speaking from Hawaii during an official trip, Hegseth also criticized Goldberg as “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist” known for spreading misinformation, including the widely disputed “suckers and losers” story about President Trump.
Hegseth defended the administration’s actions, praising the bravery of American troops who carried out the strikes and commending Trump’s leadership. “President Trump said, ‘No more. We will reestablish deterrence, we will open freedom of navigation, and we will ultimately decimate the Houthis,’ which is exactly what we’re doing,” Hegseth stated.
The White House has not commented further on the mishap or provided clarification on how Goldberg was mistakenly added to the Signal group. The situation has raised questions about how such a significant breach of operational security could occur and whether further investigation by the intelligence community will follow.