A simple mistake in a group chat exposed America’s military plans—sparking a national security firestorm.
On the evening of March 13, 2025, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, received an unexpected Signal notification. It was an invitation to a group chat labeled “Houthi PC small group”—and inside, some of the highest-ranking national security officials in the Trump administration were actively discussing upcoming U.S. airstrikes in Yemen.
Goldberg had just stumbled into one of the biggest security breaches in recent memory.
A Shocking Oversight
The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Unaware that a journalist had been added, they openly debated military strategy, discussed specific strike targets, and even joked using emojis.
Then, just two hours later, the U.S. carried out the very airstrikes they had been texting about.
The implications were staggering: sensitive military operations were being debated in an unsecured chat, and the administration had no idea a reporter was seeing it all unfold in real-time.
How Did This Happen?
The details remain murky, but reports suggest a simple mistake—an administrative error while adding participants—led to Goldberg’s accidental inclusion. National Security Council officials are now scrambling to investigate.
Political and Public Fallout
Reactions have been swift and severe:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence in modern history.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries labeled the incident “reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth, meanwhile, pushed back, insisting, “Nobody was texting war plans.” He dismissed Goldberg as a “deceitful journalist.”
President Trump, caught off guard by the leak, distanced himself from the situation.
Bigger Questions About National Security
Beyond the political fallout, this incident raises pressing concerns about how top government officials communicate. Signal, while encrypted, is not an official government platform for classified discussions.
If high-ranking officials can casually text about military strikes in unsecured chats, what other critical national security secrets are at risk?
As investigations unfold, the White House faces growing pressure to restore faith in its ability to protect America’s most sensitive information.