March 25, 2025 The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg says he was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat discussing classified U.S. military strikes in Yemen. The chat included high-level members of the Trump administration and detailed targets, weapons, and timing for a bombing campaign against the Houthi militant group.
According to Goldberg, he received the first message on March 11 from someone claiming to be National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. Two days later, he was added to a group titled “Houthi PC small group,” where other users—apparently acting as U.S. cabinet officials—began coordinating responses and designating staff contacts.
Initially, Goldberg suspected a hoax or foreign disinformation campaign. But the details of the messages, combined with the subsequent launch of U.S. airstrikes two hours after the group’s final message, confirmed the plans were real.
The messages named U.S. officials including Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Tulsi Gabbard, and discussed diplomatic communications, military sequences, and classified systems. One message referred to “taskings per the President’s guidance” and included planning to notify allies and ensure briefings for the vice president and president.
Goldberg declined to publish the name of an active intelligence officer mentioned in the chat. The incident has raised concerns about the Trump administration’s use of unsecured messaging apps for sensitive national security planning.
