Jeffrey Goldberg shocked readers after revealing he was added to a group chat with senior US officials [GETTY]
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief made global headlines on Monday after revealing that members of the Trump administration had texted him ‘secret’ plans about attacking Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg shocked readers after revealing he was added to a group chat with the title “Houthi PC small group” in the secure messaging app Signal, filled with senior US defence and intelligence officials.
The editor says he was invited to the group by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. It reportedly included 18 individuals, among them US Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Steve Witkoff, envoy to the Middle East and Ukraine.
The messages “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing”.
Goldberg revealed he knew the US was going to be striking Yemen two hours before the attack took place.
Emojis
Following the strikes on 15 March that killed at least 53 people and injured 101, Waltz apparently texted three emojis to the chat: “a fist, an American flag, and fire”, with “Witkoff” responding with the emojis of “two hands praying, a flexed bicep and two American flags”. Two other members also texted prayer emojis.
Other members reportedly wrote “A good start”, describing the operation as an “amazing job” and “Kudos to all – most particularly those in theatre and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless”.
“I have never seen a breach quite like this,” Goldberg wrote. “I also 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 US officials, up to and including the vice president.”
‘I think we are making a mistake’
Other key takeaways include “JD Vance’s” hesitancy on the strikes, writing: “I think we are making a mistake.” The vice president expressed concerns that the strike would not be popular in the US as trade going through the Red Sea would impact Europe more than it would the US.
“The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message,” Vance allegedly wrote.
While saying he is willing to support the strikes and “keep these concerns to [himself], the alleged vice president said there is a “strong argument for delaying [the attack] a month.”
In regard to messaging, “Pete Hegseth” said the team needs to stay focused on “1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded”.
A spokesperson for Vance told the publication that the president and Vance “are in complete agreement” on the administration’s foreign policy.
‘European free-loading’
Responding to Vance concerning Europe, Goldberg reported that a user identified as Hegseth responded that he shares the vice president’s “loathing of European free-loading”, adding that it’s “PATHETIC”.
Vance told the defence secretary: “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
“S M”, believed to be Stephen Miller, joined the conversation asserting the group needs to “make clear” to Europe and Egypt what they expect should the Houthi blockade end.
“If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return,” Miller reportedly wrote.
Following the text chain and the strike actually taking place, Goldberg concluded the group “was almost certainly real”.
“No one in the chat had seemed to notice that I was there. And I received no subsequent questions about why I left—or, more to the point, who I was,” the editor wrote.
Senior US officials told Goldberg they had used Signal to share unclassified information and to discuss routine matters, particularly when travelling overseas.
The National Security Council’s spokesman, Brian Hughes, said the text chain “appears to be authentic”.
After US President Donald Trump said he was unaware of the information being breached, he later appeared to joke about it, calling the whole thing a “glitch”.
Trump described the breach as “the only glitch in two months” of his administration “, and it turned out not to be a serious one” in an interview with NBC News’ Garrett Haake.
