The group reportedly included 18 participants, among them Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Goldberg described in his article how he was first contacted by a user identifying himself as Waltz on 11 March. Two days later, he was added to a Signal group titled “Huthi PC Subgroup”, a reference to the Principals Committee, which includes senior US national security officials.
On 15 March, Hegseth allegedly posted exact details about strike targets, timings, and the weapons to be used—roughly two hours before the attacks took place.
Goldberg initially believed he had been added to a disinformation campaign and did not take the messages seriously until the strikes were carried out precisely as described. Only then did he realise the thread was likely authentic.
The incident triggered immediate questions about the administration’s handling of classified information and its use of unauthorised communication channels. The National Security Council later confirmed the chat’s existence, describing it as an “authentic thread” under internal review.
White House officials stated that Trump had been briefed on the situation and expressed strong disapproval of Goldberg personally. Trump, who has previously clashed with the journalist, reportedly said, “You couldn’t have picked a worse person than Goldberg to add to the chat,” according to sources cited by CNN.
Still, the White House confirmed that Trump continues to support Waltz and the broader national security team. “The president has full confidence in his advisers,” said spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
In public comments, Hegseth denied wrongdoing. “Nobody was texting war plans,” he told reporters, while also launching a personal attack on Goldberg, calling him “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist”.
According to multiple outlets, members of the group congratulated each other with celebratory emojis after the strikes. At least 50 people were killed in the air raids, according to Houthi health authorities.
Critics across the political spectrum reacted swiftly. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted, “You can’t be serious,” in a short message on X, pointing to the irony of her own 2016 email controversy being raised by some of the same officials now implicated in this breach.
Senator Chris Coons called the incident a criminal breach, while Senator Mark Kelly said it could have endangered pilots and questioned why classified planning wasn’t confined to secure government systems. Elizabeth Warren described the episode as “blatantly illegal and dangerously reckless”.
According to US law, national security information must be shared through authorised classified communication systems. Signal, though commonly used for secure personal communication, is not approved for handling classified government material.
Experts said that if the chat participants had shared detailed operational data—as reported—this would violate multiple federal protocols. The accidental inclusion of an unauthorised civilian, especially a journalist, could heighten the legal exposure of those involved.
The group chat reportedly continued for several days before Goldberg removed himself and contacted those involved directly to verify the group’s authenticity. According to Goldberg, none of the participants noticed his presence until after the strikes were carried out.
Despite the fallout, there is no indication that Trump plans to dismiss Waltz. The White House has not addressed whether any disciplinary action will be taken against those involved in the breach.
The Atlantic incident marks one of the most high-profile security missteps of Trump’s second term. While the administration insists no classified details were intentionally shared, the combination of unauthorised communication tools, poor oversight, and a lack of operational discipline has drawn significant scrutiny both domestically and abroad.
HT