By Edith Loyola 
An unusual leak has revealed serious flaws in the internal communications of Donald Trump’s administration. In early March, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly included in a private messaging group where senior administration officials were discussing, in real time, sensitive details of a military offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In his article published Monday and titled “The Trump Administration Accidentally Messaged Me Its War Plans”, Goldberg recounts how an account under the name of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz added him to a group chat on the messaging app Signal. What initially seemed implausible was later confirmed by subsequent events—and by the administration itself.
“I had serious doubts that this text group was real, because I couldn’t believe that America’s national security leaders were using Signal to communicate about imminent war plans,” Goldberg wrote.
The chat included users with names corresponding to high-profile figures such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. According to the journalist, the messages went beyond logistical matters and included political considerations about the potential impact of the offensive.
Among them, JD Vance expressed opposition to the operation, warning it could trigger global economic consequences.
“This could lead to a spike in oil prices, and the public likely won’t understand why this matters,” the Vice President cautioned, according to the messages.
Pete Hegseth, described as one of the most active voices in the chat, acknowledged the official messaging would be difficult to convey and suggested the narrative should focus on blaming the previous administration and highlighting Iran’s involvement.
“Nobody knows who the Houthis are, so we’d need to stick with: 1) Biden failed, and 2) Iran funded,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Goldberg continued reading with astonishment as highly sensitive information was shared—such as the exact timing of the attacks and the type of weaponry to be used. Confirmation that the plan was real came on March 15, when reports of explosions in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, began circulating on social media at the exact time previously mentioned in the chat.
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“I confirmed the plans were real when, on March 15, at the exact time cited by the Secretary of Defense, reports of explosions began to circulate,” he wrote.
After verifying what had occurred, the journalist chose to leave the group, fully aware that doing so would notify the supposed creator—Mike Waltz.
“I left the group knowing that this would automatically alert the group’s creator, ‘Michael Waltz’, that I had exited,” he explained.
In response, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes acknowledged that the messages appear to be authentic and confirmed that the administration has launched an internal review.
“The messages appear to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an unrecognized number was added to the chain,” Hughes told The Washington Post.
Hours after the article was published in The Atlantic, former President Donald Trump was asked about the case. He claimed to be unaware of both the incident and the article’s content.
“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, it’s a magazine that’s going away. I don’t think it’s a great magazine. But I don’t know anything about it,” he said.
The White House is currently investigating how the unauthorized inclusion of the journalist occurred, as well as the implications of the exposure of sensitive information regarding military plans in Yemen.