Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, made a shocking revelation on Monday, claiming that President Donald Trump's national security team mistakenly added him to a top-secret chat regarding military strikes in Yemen and shared their war plans and how they plan to eliminate their enemies.
The conversation took place on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and was initiated by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and included users Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Others listed in the group included a CIA representative, Trump adviser Stephen Miller, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Shocking Leak
Goldberg, a veteran journalist based in Washington, D.C., unexpectedly found himself included in the discussion. "It should go without saying—but I'll say it anyway—that I have never been invited to a White House principals-committee meeting, and that, in my many years of reporting on national-security matters, I had never heard of one being convened over a commercial messaging app," he wrote in The Atlantic.
The jaw-dropping incident exposed sensitive operational details by mistake. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, is now facing scrutiny for the serious lapse, the Daily Mail reported.
Goldberg recounted the unusual situation, initially doubting the chat's authenticity until he realized it was real when "the bombs started falling."
He admitted he was stunned, saying he "could not believe that the national security adviser to the president would be so reckless as to include the editor in chief of The Atlantic in such discussions with senior U.S. officials, up to and including the vice president."
Due to national security concerns, Goldberg chose not to reveal all the details from the conversation.
The White House is yet to respond to requests for comment but none of the people mentioned in the report is disputing it, the Daily Mail reported. If true, this would be a shocking security lapse.
Leak Could Have Been Damaging
Trump ordered the strikes on Iran-backed rebels in Yemen as a warning to Tehran. The Houthi rebels had been attacking ships in the Red Sea belonging to nations with ties to Israel, including the U.S. and the UK.
Goldberg was initially skeptical, admitting he feared the text chain could be part of a "disinformation operation."
However, he noted that the messages appeared authentic, and certain details aligned with real events. For instance, the account labeled as Vance mentioned missing a meeting due to an economic event in Michigan—where the vice president was indeed present on that day.
Vance also voiced his own concerns about the operation. "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," Vance wrote.
"I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc."
Hegseth responded he understood: "VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what."
After some discussion, Vance concedes: "If you think we should do it let's go. I just hate bailing Europe out again."
As Goldberg observed the conversation unfold on his Signal app, he admitted he was "mystified that no one in the group seemed to have noticed my presence."
He also noted that he voluntarily withheld details from a lengthy message sent by Hegseth, as its contents, "had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel."
"What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing," Goldberg added.
"I will say a prayer for victory," Vance wrote in response to the defense secretary.
"Two other users subsequently added prayer emoji," Goldberg notes.
