Trump’s Administration Faces Security Scandal As Journalist Leaks War Plans

Trump’s administration has confirmed that a journalist was mistakenly included in a private Signal chat where senior officials discussed an attack on Yemen’s Houthi group. The revelation has raised serious security concerns, with critics demanding a full investigation into how classified military discussions ended up exposed.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed that he was added to the chat by someone using the name “Michael Waltz,” whom he later identified as Trump’s national security adviser. In this group, high-ranking officials—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth—were openly discussing military plans.

“I knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming,” Goldberg wrote. “The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m.”

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The chat, titled “Houthi PC small group,” provided Goldberg with an inside view of top-level policy debates within Trump’s administration. He was able to witness arguments over the timing of the strikes and concerns over their economic impact.

Trump’s Administration Confirms the Breach

Following Goldberg’s revelations, Trump’s administration acknowledged the security breach in a statement from the National Security Council.

“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” council spokesperson Brian Hughes said.

Officials described the chat as a routine coordination tool, but critics argue that using a non-secure, private messaging app for such discussions posed a major risk to national security.

During a press conference, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce refused to comment on the issue, referring all questions to the White House.

Trump Denies Knowledge of the Incident

At a public event in Louisiana, Trump dismissed the concerns, saying, “I don’t know anything about it.” He also criticised The Atlantic, calling it “a magazine that’s going out of business.”

When pressed by reporters, Trump appeared confused about the security breach, asking, “What were they talking about?” He then mistakenly suggested that the leak was an attempt to sabotage the military operation.

“It couldn’t have been very effective because the attack was very effective,” he added.

Calls for Investigation into Trump’s Administration

The revelation has sparked outrage among lawmakers, with Senator Chris Coons calling for an urgent inquiry.

“Jeffrey Goldberg’s reporting calls for a prompt and thorough investigation,” Coons wrote on social media. “If senior advisers to President Trump used non-secure, non-government systems to discuss war plans, it’s a shocking breach of national security.”

Experts warn that the use of Signal for sensitive discussions could have led to severe security risks if any of the officials’ devices had been lost or hacked.

Goldberg also raised concerns about whether the chat violated public records laws, as the messages were set to automatically delete. “Text messages about official acts are considered records that should be preserved,” he wrote.

What Happens Next?

With pressure mounting on Trump’s administration, officials may face scrutiny over how classified information was handled. Legal experts say National Security Adviser Michael Waltz could be investigated for potentially leaking national security information by including Goldberg in the chat.

Goldberg noted, “The group was transmitting information to someone not authorised to receive it. That is the classic definition of a leak.”

As investigations continue, the incident raises serious questions about security protocols within Trump’s administration and the risks of handling classified discussions on non-government platforms.