The Atlantic reported that senior members of President Trump’s cabinet accidentally added a reporter to a group thread on a messaging app, where they sent detailed operational plans and other likely highly classified information regarding US military strikes on Yemen. US officials reacted with shock and horror, in many cases, to these revelations.
The Trump administration has confirmed that the texts appear to be genuine; however, they have failed to provide an explanation as to why high-ranking officials were communicating sensitive national security material outside of authorized secret government networks.
According to current and former officials, there were immediate concerns that government officials in the Trump administration were using Signal too frequently for sensitive tasks, which could jeopardize US national security. As a result, senior officials moved swiftly behind the scenes to assess Signal’s usage.
Those in the Trump administration who talked with AWN on a confidential basis said that the news spread like wildfire throughout several text threads the moment it came out.
At least two government officials expressed concern that this may lead to the firing of a coworker, while many expressed disbelief when contacted by AWN.
According to career national security officials who spoke with AWN, the risk of foreign hackers gaining access to such sensitive conversations on an unclassified platform was high, and any other employee caught engaging in such conversations would have been fired and likely prosecuted.
The Atlantic reports that earlier this month, US national security adviser Mike Waltz had a text chat with high-ranking US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and others, to plan strikes against the Houthi militants in Yemen, who had threatened international shipping in the Red Sea. I added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chain, seemingly by accident,” Waltz said.
While Goldberg followed along, the communications began with a debate over the action’s launch date. After the strikes were completed, the principals had a short debriefing to celebrate their success before Goldberg stepped down.
A former top US official stated, “Dear Sweet Baby Jesus,” in response to the news.
Despite the Trump administration’s earlier acknowledgement that the messages appeared authentic, Hegseth denied on Monday evening that war plans were discussed over text. The Atlantic claims that Hegseth sent “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen” during the conversation.
His explanation for the accidental disclosure of such data to Goldberg was as follows: “Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.” He made these comments upon touching down at Hawaii’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in response to reporters’ questions about the matter. Furthermore, the defense secretary attacked the journalist, calling him “deceitful and highly discredited.”
Journalists and government officials are among the many users of the encrypted texting tool Signal. Meeting logistics and communication with international colleagues were two other common uses for it among Biden administration officials.
According to current and former officials, the use of Signal for discussing military operations planning poses a significant threat to national security. This is because this information is among the most highly guarded secrets the United States has, in part because of the possible impact on the lives of American service personnel. Several high-ranking officials denied ever using Signal to discuss sensitive military matters or transmit secret information. One former senior official claims that the top officials in the group chat have secure lines in their cars and access to secret communications equipment. They also have people whose duty it is to guarantee that sensitive material remains safe throughout talks.
“They broke every procedure known to man about protecting operational material before a military strike,” claimed a former senior intelligence official. “During a military operation, there is a complete lack of security.”
When questioned if the app was used similarly during Biden’s presidency, another person expressed their disapproval with a level head.
Despite Trump’s statement on Monday expressing “utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz,” important agencies and the White House were understandably worried as questions arose about whether new rules or guidelines should be established for internal communications.
An anonymous White House insider told AWN, “Everyone is on Signal, all day and night” in reference to ongoing discussions behind closed doors. “That could change.”
Since Signal’s code is public for independent specialists to examine for weaknesses, users can have more faith in the app’s security. Signal may be susceptible to eavesdropping as, like any messaging program with valuable targets, state-backed hackers have attempted to get access to Signal communications.
Last month, Mandiant, a security firm owned by Google, revealed that spies with ties to Russia attempted to get into the Signal accounts of Ukrainian service members by impersonating reliable Signal friends.
There is yet no word from Trump on whether or not he intends to fire anyone in connection with this. “I don’t know anything about it,” he told reporters on Monday afternoon, expressing his astonishment when questioned about the article. The Atlantic isn’t really my cup of tea. In my opinion, it’s a publication that’s about to close its doors for good. As a magazine, it fails to impress me. Nevertheless, I am completely ignorant regarding the subject.
Several people in Trump’s administration have pointed out that the decision was widely viewed as a huge unforced blunder that might have catastrophic consequences for national security. What’s more, Trump has a personal grudge against Goldberg, which has only made the situation worse.
Two sources informed AWN that the president showed his disdain for the writer at Monday afternoon’s briefing on the item in The Atlantic.
Adding Goldberg to the conversation was the worst choice, according to a Trump associate.
