Today's News: Classified Yemen War Plans Exposed in Unsecured Group Chat
Senior Trump administration officials shared highly sensitive U.S. military plans in a Signal group chat, inadvertently including The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Photo: Yuri Gripas/Press Pool
Overview
Date: March 24–25, 2025
Topic: Trump Officials Exposed Classified Yemen War Plans in Unsecured Group Chat
Summary: Senior Trump administration officials shared highly sensitive U.S. military plans in a Signal group chat, inadvertently including The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The chat involved Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other top officials, as well as detailed operational information about planned airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen. Goldberg, who initially thought the messages might be a hoax, verified their authenticity as the strikes occurred exactly as described. The White House has confirmed the thread appears authentic and is reviewing the incident. The disclosure has triggered bipartisan concern over national security protocols and the use of unsecured platforms for sensitive deliberations.
Sources
The New York Times: Hegseth Disclosed Secret War Plans in a Group Chat
CNN: Damning Yemen group chat reflects an administration indifferent to the rule of law
NBC News: Trump administration is reviewing how its national security team sent military plans to a magazine editor
Fox News: Trump officials accidentally text Atlantic journalist about military strikes in apparent security breach
The Washington Post: Trump officials shared war planning in unclassified chat with journalist
The Wall Street Journal: Top Trump Officials Debated War Plans on Unclassified Chat Shared With Journalist
Jeffrey Goldberg’s original reporting in The Atlantic: The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
Key Points
A Signal group chat used by Trump’s top national security officials included detailed U.S. military strike plans against the Houthis.
The chat, meant to be private, inadvertently included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who confirmed the authenticity and reported on the breach.
The thread revealed operational details such as weapons, targets, and timing, which experts say could violate the Espionage Act.
The White House confirmed the message thread appears real and is investigating how Goldberg’s number was added.
Officials involved included JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz, Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe, Tulsi Gabbard, and others.
Hegseth denied sending war plans but was contradicted by both Goldberg’s reporting and the White House statement.
Democrats and some Republicans expressed concern, citing serious national security implications and calls for investigations.
Unique Highlights
CNN emphasized the cultural impunity within the administration and connected this event to Trump’s broader disregard for classified information handling.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was personally frustrated with Mike Waltz and considered firing him but had not acted.
The Washington Post detailed past criticisms of Hillary Clinton by the same officials now implicated in this breach.
NBC News shared that Vice President Vance’s national security adviser participated in the chat and quoted Vance questioning the strategic value of the strikes.
Fox News included Hegseth's rationale for executing the strike to prevent leaks or Israeli preemption, which wasn’t covered elsewhere.
The New York Times added that Hegseth claimed “we are clean on OPSEC,” despite revealing precise strike details.
Contrasting Details
Hegseth denied sharing war plans in comments to Fox News and NBC News, while The Atlantic and The New York Times described specific disclosures.
The Wall Street Journal portrayed some Trump officials defending Signal use as secure, whereas CNN and The Washington Post emphasized its inappropriateness for classified material.
Fox News and The Wall Street Journal noted Vance’s reluctant support for the strike after voicing concerns, while CNN focused on his criticism of bailing out Europe.
The New York Times framed the breach as a potential Espionage Act violation, while Fox News stressed that the operation’s success meant no harm was done.
Responses from Republicans ranged from dismissive (Speaker Mike Johnson via CNN and The Washington Post) to sharply critical (Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Mike Lawler via NBC News and The Wall Street Journal).
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