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ASHINGTON (AP) — According to reports, senior national security officials under President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, disclosed military strategies for forthcoming operations in Yemen via a group chat on a secure messaging platform. This chat also included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, as revealed in a piece published online on Monday. The National Security Council has confirmed the authenticity of the text exchanges.
Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief, stated that the exchanged messages contained “operational specifics about imminent attacks on Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen,” detailing targets, the U.S. weaponry planned for use, and the sequence of the assaults.
It is still uncertain if the information pertaining to this military action was classified, although such details are usually safeguarded to maintain operational security and ensure the safety of military personnel. The U.S. has been conducting airstrikes against Houthi forces since they began attacking commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023.
Interestingly, just two hours after Goldberg was informed about the planned attack on March 15, the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes aimed at Houthi positions in Yemen.
The National Security Council has announced an investigation into how a journalist’s phone number ended up in the Signal group chat.
In response to the incident, Trump told reporters he was unaware of any possible security breach.
“I know nothing about it,” Trump stated, dismissing The Atlantic as “not much of a magazine.” He continued, “I don’t have any information on this. You’re telling me for the first time.”
Although government officials have employed Signal for organizational discussions, it is not classified and poses risks of hacking.
The leak of sensitive information coincides with a recent initiative from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, which has begun a crackdown on information leaks, potentially introducing polygraph tests for defense personnel to determine how journalists acquire sensitive information.
Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for Hegseth, has not yet addressed questions about why the defense secretary would share military plans through an unclassified application.
The management of national defense information is strictly governed by law, particularly under the Espionage Act, which includes provisions that criminalize the unauthorized removal of such information from its designated secure locations, even in cases of gross negligence.
In 2015 and 2016, the Justice Department examined whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton violated the law by discussing classified matters with her aides through a private email server; however, the FBI ultimately did not recommend any charges.
During the Biden administration, certain officials were given permission to download Signal on their White House-issued phones but were cautioned to use the app sparingly, as noted by a former national security official from the Democratic administration.
This official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive communication methods, indicated that Signal was mainly utilized for what they termed “tippers,” which served to notify colleagues when they were out of the office or traveling abroad to check their classified inbox for urgent messages.
Furthermore, during the Biden administration, the app was also used for coordinating sensitive meetings and classified phone calls when officials were outside their offices.
