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Drop what you're doing and read this incredible story, which recounts how a reporter for The Atlantic was inadvertently included in a private Signal discussion group that appears to have included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Sec. of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials discussing plans for an upcoming U.S. military assault on Yemen.
The reporter, Jeff Goldberg, said he was convinced it was all an elaborate hoax as they laid out the pros and cons of specific attack options, and discussed targets over the course of a week. That is, until they shared on the Signal chat exactly where and when the targets in Yemen would be hit, and then those targets got hit exactly when they'd said.
"The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen."
"I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
"According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city."
"I went back to the Signal channel. At 1:48, “Michael Waltz” had provided the group an update. Again, I won’t quote from this text, except to note that he described the operation as an “amazing job.” A few minutes later, “John Ratcliffe” wrote, “A good start.” Not long after, Waltz responded with three emoji: a fist, an American flag, and fire. Others soon joined in, including “MAR,” who wrote, “Good Job Pete and your team!!,” and “Susie Wiles,” who texted, “Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless.” “Steve Witkoff” responded with five emoji: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags."
"I have never seen a breach quite like this. It is not uncommon for national-security officials to communicate on Signal. But the app is used primarily for meeting planning and other logistical matters—not for detailed and highly confidential discussions of a pending military action. And, of course, I’ve never heard of an instance in which a journalist has been invited to such a discussion."
What nobody is talking about yet is how badly this will damage our already frayed relations with our major allies, who will be rightfully horrified of sharing any sensitive intelligence with a bunch of bumbling nitwits sending thumbs-up emojis.
Of course, the White House claims no classified data was shared. What else would they say?
Calling Goldberg's coverage of this monumental and unprecedented OPSEC fail by a US presidential administration "sensationalist" is beyond the pale. Given the volume of sensitive information shared with him unsolicited via Signal, Mr. Goldberg's reporting demonstrated that he exercised remarkable restraint in not publishing a great deal of what he was given.
Whether it's sending Com kids in to monkey with taxpayer databases, setting up Starlink antennas on top of the White House complex for "faster Wi-Fi," or granting TS/SCI clearances to anyone without a thorough background check, this administration’s overall approach to security measures is to go around them, or just pretend they don’t exist for a good reason.
The administration is really hoping they can just sweep this one under the rug. That can't be allowed to happen, because this is not going to be an isolated event.
From the NYT:
"Two of the Trump administration’s top intelligence officials denied that classified information was shared in an encrypted group chat in which details of an attack on Yemen were discussed in the presence of a journalist who had been mistakenly added to the conversation."
"The Senate Intelligence Committee is holding a previously scheduled briefing on global threats with Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence; John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director; and the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel. Pressed repeatedly about the security breach, Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Ratcliffe both denied that classified material had been shared in the chat. Mr. Patel declined to say if the F.B.I. had begun an investigation."
"The White House also sought to downplay the serious nature of the extraordinary security breach, as bipartisan criticism of the incident grew on Tuesday and leading Democrats called for the resignation of the national security adviser, Michael Waltz, who set up the group chat, and the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who reportedly shared classified war plans in it."
Here are the latest developments:
Defending Waltz: President Trump defended Mr. Waltz, saying in an interview with NBC News that the national security adviser had “learned a lesson” and suggested a staff member was to blame for including a journalist in the secret group chat.
Bipartisan criticism: The vice chairman of the intelligence committee, Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, denounced what he called “sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior” by the country’s top intelligence officials. Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters that the White House should “be honest and own up” to what happened.
"Damage control: The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said no classified material was sent to the group chat, and she attacked the journalist who revealed it, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, as “sensationalist.” Her statement came a day after Mr. Hegseth suggested the leak was a “hoax” even as the White House confirmed that messages he sent to it appeared to be authentic."
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/25/us/trump-hegseth-war-plans-leak-signal
@briankrebs
What would Trump have said if he had published the attack plans before they happened, instead of after?
