MINUTE-BY-MINUTE details from a Signal group chat discussing Trump’s plans to strike Houthi rebels have been released.
The White House blasted The Atlantic editor in chief who was added to the group chat and published the exchange, slamming the blunder as “oversold” and a “hoax.”
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was added into the Signal group chat
The text thread included Donald Trump’s advisers congratulating each other after an attack on the Houthis
The Mega AgencySecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaking at the White House on March 21, 2025[/caption]
APWhite House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 21, 2025[/caption]
APUnited States Vice President JD Vance at a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Paris on February 11, 2025[/caption]
National Security Adviser Michael Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic, into a group message on Signal where White House officials were discussing the upcoming attack in Yemen on March 15.
However, the advisers insisted that no war plans were disclosed in the messages after The Atlantic published an initial story about the breach.
“Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that,” Hegseth said on Monday.
On Wednesday, Goldberg fired back at the denial by releasing the full string of bombshell messages, which the journalist said he received two hours before the attack in the Middle East took place.
“If this text had been received by someone hostile to American interests – or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media – the Houthis would have had time to prepare for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds,” Goldberg wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt immediately slammed the story and emphasized on X that the messages were not war plans.
“This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin,” Leavitt blasted.
The conversation started with a “team update” from Hegseth at 11:44 am, where he laid out the timeline of the attack on the Houthis, where American aircraft were aiming to kill a specific “target terrorist.”
Waltz sent a text with an update about the attack site at 1:48 pm.
“VP. Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job,” he wrote.
He marked “multiple positive ID,” meaning they identified and killed their Houthi target.
“Amazing job,” Waltz added – but the text wasn’t clearly received.
Six minutes later, Vance shared a stunned reaction to the message.
“What?” the vice president said.
Waltz then clarified his previous message.
“Typing too fast,” he explained.
“The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”
Vance responded “excellent,” and John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA, wrote that it was a “good start.”
After The Atlantic published the text thread on Wednesday, White House officials were quick to slam the story as exaggerated.
“It’s very clear Goldberg oversold what he had,” Vance wrote on X.
Hegseth told the group that more attacks were to come.
“Great job all. More strikes ongoing for hours tonight, and will provide full initial report tomorrow,” Hegseth wrote.
A government watchdog group has announced they’re suing Hegseth and other Trump officials for using Signal to discuss the plans.
American Oversight said in a statement the group is seeking to “recover unlawfully deleted messages and prevent further destruction.”
Waltz said on Fox News on Tuesday that he takes “full responsibility” for the mistake.
“We made a mistake,” he said.
In an X post on Wednesday, he pointed out that the messages didn’t share any locations, sources, or methods involved in the attack.
“No war plans,” he emphasized.
“Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent.
“Bottom line: President Trump is protecting America and our interests.”
Trump defended Waltz after the incident.
“‘Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president said.
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