WASHINGTON – Senior officials from the Trump administration inadvertently revealed military strategies in a messaging group that included a journalist just prior to the US’s assault on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, the White House stated on Monday, following a direct account by The Atlantic.
Democratic legislators quickly criticized the blunder, labeling it a violation of US national security and a transgression of the law that requires congressional investigation.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported on Monday that he was unexpectedly added on March 13 to an encrypted chat group on the Signal messaging application named the “Houthi PC small group.” In this group, national security adviser Mike Waltz directed his assistant Alex Wong to establish a “tiger team” to synchronize US efforts against the Houthis.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes asserted that the chat group appeared to be genuine.
US President Donald Trump initiated a sustained campaign of extensive military operations against Yemen’s Houthis on March 15 in response to the group’s assaults on Red Sea shipping, warning Iran, the Houthis’ primary supporter, that it needed to cease its backing of the group immediately.
In the hours leading up to the initiation of those attacks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared operational specifics regarding the plan in the messaging group, “including details about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and sequencing of attacks,” Goldberg noted. While his report did not include the specifics, Goldberg described it as a “shockingly reckless” use of a Signal chat.
Accounts that appeared to represent Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and high-ranking National Security Council officials were gathered in the chat group, Goldberg stated.
Joe Kent, Trump’s pick for National Counterterrorism Center director, was reportedly included in the Signal chain despite not yet being confirmed by the Senate.
Trump informed journalists at the White House that he was unaware of the occurrence. “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not particularly fond of The Atlantic,” Trump remarked. A White House official later indicated that an inquiry was underway and that Trump had been briefed on the matter.
Hughes of the NSC commented in a statement: “Currently, the message thread that was reported seems to be legitimate, and we are examining how an inadvertent number was included in the chain.”
“The thread exemplifies the profound and considered policy coordination among senior officials. The continuing success of the Houthi operation indicates that there were no threats to our service members or to our national security.”
Hegseth denied revealing military strategies in the group chat.
“Nobody was texting military strategies, and that’s all I have to say regarding that,” he told reporters while visiting Hawaii on Monday.
Goldberg countered Hegseth’s denial during an interview on CNN later on Monday by stating, “No, that’s false. He was texting military strategies.”
‘EUROPEAN FREE-LOADING’
According to screenshots of the chat shared by The Atlantic, officials in the group discussed whether the US should execute the strikes, and at one point, Vance seemed to question whether US allies in Europe, who are more vulnerable to shipping disruptions in the area, warranted US assistance.
“@PeteHegseth if you believe we should proceed let’s do it,” someone identified as Vance wrote. “I just despise bailing Europe out again,” the individual added, saying: “Let’s ensure our messaging is precise here.”
A person identified as Hegseth responded: “VP: I completely share your disdain for European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Atlantic noted that the individual identified as Vance also voiced concerns regarding the timing of the strikes, suggesting there was a compelling argument for postponing them by a month.
“I’m not sure the president understands how inconsistent this is with his message regarding Europe at this moment. There’s a further risk that we might see a moderate to severe increase in oil prices,” the account indicated, before expressing willingness to support the consensus of the group.
Yemen, the Houthi-allied Iran, and the European Union’s diplomatic services did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for commentary.
Under US legislation, mishandling, misusing, or abusing classified information can be a criminal offense, though it remains unclear whether these provisions may have been violated in this instance. Messages that The Atlantic stated were set by Waltz to vanish from the Signal app after a specific time also raise concerns regarding potential breaches of federal record-keeping regulations.
As part of a Trump administration initiative to track down leaks by officials to journalists not connected to the Signal group, Gabbard posted on X on March 14 that any “unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated accordingly.”
On Tuesday, Gabbard is set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding global threats to the United States.
Developed by entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike, Signal has transitioned from a niche messaging app favored by privacy-conscious activists to the informal whisper network of Washington’s officialdom. Signal does not employ US government encryption and is not hosted on governmental servers.
Democratic legislators denounced the use of the Signal group as unlawful and insisted on an investigation.
“This is one of the most astonishing breaches of military intelligence that I have encountered in a significant amount of time,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer stated, adding that he would request Majority Leader John Thune to conduct an investigation.
“We’re just learning about it. But obviously, we need to pursue this thoroughly and ascertain what transpired there. We’ll formulate a plan,” remarked Thune, a Republican from South Dakota.
No immediate indication has emerged from the White House that the breach would result in any changes in personnel.
“President Trump maintains the highest confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt informed Reuters.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed on X that utilizing Signal to deliberate highly sensitive national security matters was “blatantly illegal and incredibly dangerous.”
“Every single one of the government officials involved in this text chain has now committed a crime – even if unintentionally – that would typically result in a prison sentence,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons stated on X. — Reuters
