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Two and a half hours after the report, U.S. President Trump told reporters he was unaware that sensitive information had been shared To The Atlantic.
Top national security officials under U.S. President Donald Trump, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, inadvertently shared detailed war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen via a group chat on a secure messaging app, The Atlantic reported Monday, March 24, 2025. The chat, which included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed sensitive information about forthcoming military actions against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the leaked text chain.
The texts, which included operational details such as targeted locations, weapons to be deployed, and the sequence of attacks, were sent two and a half hours before President Trump addressed the media. He initially claimed to have no knowledge of the situation, stating, “I don’t know anything about it. You’re telling me about it for the first time.” Later, he appeared to downplay the breach by sharing a satirical social media post that joked about the situation. The leak’s implications raised serious concerns over operational security and the safety of U.S. military personnel involved.
The National Security Council indicated that it is investigating how Goldberg was included in the messaging group, which also featured high-ranking officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Goldberg revealed that Mike Waltz, Trump’s National Security Adviser, had sent him the Signal app invitation, which has been a tool used for secure communication, though privacy experts warn it is not immune to hacking.
In response to the leak, Hegseth criticized Goldberg, calling him a “deceitful” journalist with a history of critical reporting on Trump. He also refused to comment on why a highly sensitive operation was discussed on an unclassified app. Hegseth, on his first trip to the Indo-Pacific as Defense Secretary, downplayed the incident, insisting, “Nobody was texting war plans.”
The White House, through spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, expressed full confidence in Waltz and the national security team. However, the breach drew immediate condemnation from Atlantic Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for a full investigation. “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Schumer remarked.
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that the carelessness displayed by Trump’s Cabinet was “stunning and dangerous” and vowed to seek answers Atlantic . Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also expressed his alarm, stating that a lower-ranking official would likely face criminal investigation for similar actions.
Republican leaders, however, displayed a more lenient approach. Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that it was important to get to the bottom of the situation, while Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended the actions of those involved, suggesting that the breach was not significant enough to warrant punitive consequences.
The handling of national defense information is strictly regulated by the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the removal of classified materials. Though similar breaches of security have sparked controversy in the past—most notably with Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as Secretary of State—this latest incident is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in handling sensitive government communications.
In light of the breach, some lawmakers, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, have expressed serious concerns over Hegseth’s ability to serve as Defense Secretary. Duckworth criticized Hegseth’s actions, calling him “the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in history” for his role in the leak.
As investigations continue, the incident underscores the ongoing challenges of maintaining national security and operational secrecy in an era where technology, even encrypted messaging apps like Signal, can be compromised. The fallout from the leak is expected to grow as more details emerge regarding the handling of sensitive military information by Trump administration officials.
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