White House Under Fire After Journalist Accidentally Added to Secret Military Chat

The Trump administration is facing intense scrutiny after the White House admitted that The Atlantic‘s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in an unsecured group chat where top U.S. national security officials were discussing a military strike in Yemen.

Democratic lawmakers condemned the blunder, calling it a serious national security breach and demanding a Congressional investigation.

The Accidental Leak

National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Brian Hughes confirmed that the chat appeared to be authentic. The group included high-ranking officials such as:

• Vice President JD Vance
• 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
• Senior NSC officials

What the White House Texted the Journalist

In his report on Monday, Goldberg revealed that he was unexpectedly invited on March 13 to an encrypted Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group”.

Within the chat, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz assigned his deputy, Alex Wong, to form a “tiger team” to coordinate U.S. military action against the Houthis.

Goldberg claimed that just hours before the March 15 airstrikes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared operational details in the group, including:

• Target locations
• Weapons to be used
• Attack sequencing

Although Goldberg refrained from publishing specifics, he called the incident “shockingly reckless”, criticizing officials for discussing military plans over an unsecured chat.

Denials and Disputes

Hegseth denied sharing classified war plans, telling reporters, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.”

However, Goldberg pushed back during a CNN interview, stating, “No, that’s a lie. He was texting war plans.”

Revealing Conversations in the Group Chat

According to screenshots published by The Atlantic, members of the group debated whether the U.S. should proceed with the strikes.

At one point, Vice President JD Vance appeared hesitant, questioning whether European allies, who were more exposed to shipping disruptions, deserved U.S. intervention.

Vance: “@PeteHegseth if you think we should do it, let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again. Let’s just make sure our messaging is tight here.”

Hegseth reportedly responded:

Hegseth: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”

Vance also expressed concerns about the timing of the strikes, suggesting they be delayed by a month due to potential political and economic fallout.

Vance: “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.”

Despite his reservations, Vance ultimately agreed to support the consensus.

Trump’s Response

When asked about the incident, President Donald Trump told reporters:

“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic.”

However, a White House official later confirmed that an internal investigation was underway and that Trump had been briefed on the situation.