The decision of when and where the U.S. President deploys military force is extremely sensitive and fraught with risk. If such information were to be obtained in advance by U.S. adversaries, it would endanger lives and potentially undermine national foreign policy objectives.
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03-29, 2025Fortunately for the Trump administration, a secure, encrypted chat group containing senior U.S. national security officials, which discussed information about an upcoming U.S. military operation in Yemen, did not fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, however, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of *The Atlantic* and an influential political journalist, observed the chat log.
In an article published on his magazine's website, Goldberg stated that he appeared to have been inadvertently added to the chat group by White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. The group members appeared to include Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Willis, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among others.
A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson told the BBC that the text message chat log "appears to be authentic." Goldberg stated that the group discussed policy and detailed operational specifics of an impending U.S. military strike, providing a rare, near real-time perspective into the inner workings of Trump's senior national security team.
Minutes after the U.S. launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, March 15, Waltz wrote in the group: "Well done." He then sent emojis of the American flag, a fist, and flames. Other senior officials joined in with congratulations. However, these White House celebrations may not last long after Monday's revelations.
The accidental addition of an outsider to sensitive national defense conversations represents a stunning failure in operational security by the Trump administration. Moreover, the fact that these conversations took place outside of secure government channels designed for such sensitive communications could be a violation of the Espionage Act, which governs the handling of classified information.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted on X that "This administration is playing fast and loose with our nation's most sensitive secrets, making all Americans less safe." Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio stated in a press release that his House Armed Services Committee must conduct a full investigation and hearing on the matter as soon as possible.
"This is an outrageous national security breach, and someone should be held accountable," he said. Criticism was not limited to Democrats. Republican Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska told the political website Axios that the administration's behavior was "inexcusable."
Referring to Waltz's text messages, he said: "None of this should be sent on non-secure systems. Russia and China are certainly monitoring his unclassified phone." Because Republicans control the House and Senate, Trump's own party would have to initiate any formal congressional investigation into the matter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, appeared to downplay that possibility, telling reporters that the White House had already acknowledged its mistake. "They're going to tighten up management and make sure it doesn't happen again," he said. "I don't know what else to say about it." Trump himself, when asked about *The Atlantic* report by reporters in the Oval Office, claimed he knew nothing about it, saying it was the first he had heard of the matter.
The White House subsequently issued a statement defending the President's national security team, including Waltz. However, by Monday evening, rumors swirled in Washington that high-level resignations might ultimately be required, with the focus centering on Waltz, whose invitation brought Goldberg into the group chat. Even as this speculation intensified, the White House offered no further comment.
The White House noted in its afternoon statement that the strikes were "very successful and effective." This may help to minimize the political fallout from the chat group discussions, which also revealed some divisions within Trump's national security team.
JD Vance was the highest-ranking participant in the Signal text message group discussing detailed plans for the U.S. military strikes in Yemen. While the Vice President typically aligns his public comments on foreign policy with Trump, in private discussions, he said he believed the administration was making a "mistake" by taking military action.
He pointed out that the Yemeni Houthis posed a greater threat to European shipping than to U.S. trade. "I'm not sure the President realizes how inconsistent this is with his current messaging on Europe," Vance wrote. "We also risk a moderate to severe increase in oil prices."
The Vice President went on to say that he would support the team's decision "and keep these concerns to myself." "But there's a strong argument to be made for delaying a month, publicizing the importance of this, seeing how the economic situation looks, etc."
It would not be the first time a Vice President has disagreed with a President on a foreign policy matter. Dick Cheney clashed with President George W. Bush late in his administration over handling the Iraq War, and Joe Biden felt that Barack Obama was taking too great a risk with the secret operation to kill Osama bin Laden.
Nor is it the first time the handling of sensitive national security material has made news headlines. Both Trump and Joe Biden have been investigated for possessing classified information after leaving office. Special Counsel Jack Smith has charged Trump with violating regulations related to his refusal to hand over materials stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate—a case that would be dropped were Trump to win reelection last year.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for communications while serving as U.S. Secretary of State became a major issue during her unsuccessful campaign for President. Like this White House group chat, some of those messages provided insights into the inner workings of Clinton's team. Their disclosure also proved politically damaging. Some of the information she stored was later deemed to contain "top secret" information.
"We cannot have someone in the Oval Office who doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'confidential' or 'top secret'," Trump said during that campaign—one of his many attacks on Clinton for what he said was her clear violation of federal law. On Monday afternoon, Clinton posted her own brief comment on the White House Signal group chat revelations on social media. "You've got to be kidding me," she wrote.
