On March 15, the Trump administration faced a significant security breach when a group chat, intended for senior national-security officials, mistakenly included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. This accidental inclusion led to the early exposure of highly sensitive details about U.S. military plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, hours before the operation commenced. The conversation, conducted via the encrypted messaging service Signal, provided Goldberg with critical information about the targets, timing, and weapons involved in the planned strikes.
The leak, which occurred just two days before the strikes were set to take place, was not immediately recognized by the officials involved, who continued to discuss the details of the military operation. In the chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other high-level officials debated the timing of the attack and the potential consequences. Goldberg, who had been added to the group chat by mistake, initially expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the conversation. However, as he observed the increasingly specific discussions, he realized that the war plans were indeed genuine.
The accidental leak has sparked a wave of criticism, with lawmakers and former national-security officials questioning the competence of those involved. Representative Pat Ryan, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, condemned the breach as “incompetence” and vowed to take action. “If House Republicans won’t hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I’ll do it my damn self,” Ryan posted on social media.
This breach has also raised broader concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. military operations to accidental leaks. While some have downplayed the impact of the incident, others, including former CIA Director Leon Panetta, have called for a thorough investigation into how a journalist was included in such a sensitive discussion. Panetta emphasized the potential risks, arguing that the leak could not only undermine national security but also jeopardize lives.
Despite the controversy, a spokesperson for the National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the leak, asserting that the message chain was part of standard operational coordination. The spokesperson also stated that the success of the Houthi operation demonstrated that the security breach had not compromised the mission. However, the incident remains a point of contention and has put the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive information under intense scrutiny.
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