Trump’s Signal-Gate

Matthew Willar

News Editor

Members of President Trump’s administration are under fire for mistakenly adding journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat late last month. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz created the chat to discuss military operations against the Houthis in Yemen.

Signal is an instant messaging app that has over 70 million active users. Waltz used the platform to create a group chat titled “Houthi PC small group” with 15 other top Trump national security officials. Not all participated in attack plan discussions, but those who shared specific details of the operation shared classified information with Goldberg once he was added on March 15.

Leading voices on Trump’s national security team who were present in the chat included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

According to the New York Times, Hegseth disclosed the specific details of the operation just two hours before U.S. troops launched the attacks.

Once Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, appeared in the chat, no one was aware that he was mistakenly added. Appearing as “JG,” Goldberg himself was confused why he was added to the group.

In his article in The Atlantic titled, “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans,” Goldberg wrote, “U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.”

Goldberg shared screenshots of some of the messages in the group chat. One notable message was from Hegseth, who sent a detailed update on the mission launch, drone strikes, and bomb drops, writing, “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier “Trigger Based” targets).”

The Trump administration has since responded to the leak, pressuring him to fire those responsible. The President has stated publicly that he fully trusts Waltz and that Hegseth is “doing a great job,” according to The Atlantic. He called the leak a “witch hunt,” and his Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed Goldberg and defended Hegseth, calling Goldberg, without any evidence, “a registered Democrat and an anti-Trump sensationalist reporter,” according to Politico.

Both Gabbard and Ratclife testified in an already scheduled hearing to discuss worldwide threats, but members of Congress also questioned them on their involvement in the leaked Signal chat, according to PBS News.

Both denied that any classified information was shared, with Gabbard going as far to not state whether or not she was “TG” in the group chat.

The Trump administration is distancing itself from the controversy and said on Mar. 31 that it’s “case closed,” according to NPR.