Days after the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed that he had been accidentally included in a group chat with many of the Trump administration’s highest-ranking officials, the journalist has now published the war plans that were shared with him. The incident raises serious concerns about the competence of Trump’s advisers and the administration’s ability to handle classified information.
Top Trump officials shared war plans with reporter before attacks began
The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported earlier this week that he had been accidentally included in a group chat with top Trump administration officials prior to the United States launching an attack against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, added Goldberg’s number to the group chat on the messaging app Signal; other members of the chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and more.
In a follow-up story published by The Atlantic, Goldberg and journalist Shane Harris revealed the contents of the texts sent over this chat, which Goldberg had described in general terms in the initial report. The full texts reveal political discussions among top advisers like Vance concerning whether or not to delay the strike. The discussions also center on how to publicly sell the military action by criticizing former President Joe Biden and European allies of the United States, both of which are common themes of Trump administration rhetoric.
The texts also include specific information about the military operation itself; Hegseth sent the group details about the exact timing, weapons and targets of the strikes before they were launched.
Trump administration downplays breach, attacks media as investigations ramp up
Goldberg and Harris said that their decision to publish the actual messages came after Trump officials repeatedly lied and mischaracterized the nature of the leak while attacking Goldberg and the press. In his initial response to the leak, Hegseth attacked Goldberg as a “deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist.” Although the White House has confirmed the authenticity of the group chat, with Waltz taking responsibility for the leak, the White House has claimed that no classified information was shared. Gabbard testified to this characterization in front of Congress, saying that “there were no sources, methods, locations or war plans that were shared.”
Goldberg and Harris maintain that the information, communicated over a messaging app and accidentally leaked to a journalist, could have been incredibly dangerous to Americans if it had been obtained by the Houthis or other hostile forces. The incident calls into question the competency of several Trump administration officials, including Hegseth and Gabbard. Trump himself has been criticized for his handling of classified information; before winning reelection, Trump faced federal charges for illegally storing classified and sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort after leaving the White House in 2021.
While Trump and his top aides seek to downplay this latest national security leak and to attack the media for reporting on it, the outrage has not gone away. Republicans in the Senate are calling for additional investigations of the leak, and officials like Waltz and Hegseth may find their jobs in jeopardy because of the scandal. Thus, while the potential military fallout of this blunder was avoided, the political fallout could be far from over.
