Topline
President Donald Trump said he knows nothing about a bombshell article published by The Atlantic on Monday alleging the magazine’s editor-in-chief was put in a Signal group chat with Trump’s defense secretary, the vice president and other Cabinet members in which they discussed sensitive plans for military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
Trump said he didn’t know anything about the article Monday
Getty ImagesKey Facts
Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Trump was asked for his response to the article and said: “I don’t know anything about it, I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me it’s a magazine that’s going out of business … but I know nothing about it,” before asking the reporter to clarify what the article said.
When the reporter clarified The Atlantic reported Trump’s Cabinet members were using Signal, a messaging app, to coordinate the attack on the Houthis, Trump said, “Well it couldn’t have been very effective because the attack was very effective … I don’t know anything about it, you’re telling me about it for the first time.”
The report was published Monday by The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and alleged he was unknowingly put in the Signal chat alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance and others.
The article included screenshots of figures appearing to be the leaders discussing whether to attack the Houthis in Yemen, and then congratulating each other after the attack took place.
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What Else Was In The Atlantic Article?
Goldberg’s article detailed the messages sent in the group chat starting March 13, when the chat titled “Houthi PC small group” was created, to when he left the chat sometime after the March 15 strikes on the Houthis. He said the messages seemingly sent from Hegseth “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” and the ones from what appeared to be Vance expressed deviation from his public agreement with Trump.
What Has The Government Said About The Article?
A National Security Council spokesperson told multiple outlets, including The Atlantic, on Monday the conversation “appears to be an authentic message chain” and said officials were reviewing how a number was inadvertently added. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security,” the spokesperson, Brian Hughes, said. Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also pointed out the success of the attacks on the Houthis, CNN reported, saying Monday that Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz,” who was reportedly the person who added Goldberg to the group chat. Despite other Trump officials saying the message chain appears authentic, Hegseth told reporters that “nobody was texting war plans” and attacked Goldberg saying he “has made a profession of peddling hoaxes.”
How Have Democrats Reacted To The Atlantic Story?
Later on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for an investigation into the group chat and The Atlantic’s report, the Associated Press reported. “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Schumer said Monday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters that there should “absolutely be a congressional investigation so that we can understand what happened, why did it happen, and how do we prevent this type of national security breach from ever happening again.” Jeffries then took aim at Hegseth, calling him “the most unqualified person ever to lead the Pentagon in American history.” In an X post, Rep Jim Himes, D-Conn., pointed out that: “Last week, Tulsi Gabbard said ‘any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of law and will be treated as such.’ By the Trump admin’s own ‘standards’ everyone on this chain would lose their access to classified info and be subject to criminal investigation.”
How Have Democrats Reacted To The Article?
Some Republican lawmakers expressed concern about the leaks but have stopped short of blaming either Waltz or Hegseth. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee said: “We’re very concerned about and we’ll be looking into it on a bipartisan basis…It appears that mistakes were made.” Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., told reporters: “Well, somebody f**ked up.” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., wrote on X: “Classified information should not be transmitted on unsecured channels — and certainly not to those without security clearances, including reporters. Period. Safeguards must be put in place to ensure this never happens again.” However, several other GOP lawmakers appeared to downplay the incident with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., telling reporters that although he wished this hadn’t happened “this is not keeping the American people up at night… this is not going to lead to the apocalypse.” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News: “This is what the leftist media is reduced to … now we’re griping about who’s on a text message and who’s not. I mean, come on.”
What To Watch For
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel are set to attend a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday followed by a House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. According to the Associated Press, the top intelligence officials were scheduled to brief the committee members on the threats facing the U.S. However, Democrats on both committees are now expected to grill the Trump administration officials about the war plans text message chain. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made several posts on X mocking Hegseth and then issuing a warning that America’s allies were “reading this war-plan-disclosure story too, and it’s making it less and less likely that they’ll want to share sensitive intel with us.” Himes, who is a ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote in a post Threads that: “The American people deserve answers, and I plan to get some on Wednesday at the Intelligence Committee’s Worldwide Threats hearing.”
Tangent
Citing unnamed senior administration officials, Politico reported that the fallout of the war plans leak story could result in Waltz being forced out of office. One of the sources cited by the report said White House officials are divided on whether the national security adviser could survive this but two “high-level White House aides” are pushing for him to resign and prevent Trump from being put in a “bad position.” Mike Waltz has not commented on the story yet but several top Republican lawmakers have come to his defense, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said it was an issue of “systems and process, not personnel.” The Democrats have mainly focused their ire at Hegseth instead of Waltz, with many calling for the Pentagon chief’s firing or resignation.
Key Background
On March 15, Trump launched military strikes against the Houthis in response to the group’s attacks against American warships in the Red Sea months earlier. In a statement posted to Truth Social announcing the “decisive and powerful Military action,” Trump said the Houthis—a Shiite rebel group that has been fighting Yemen’s government since the 1990s—had “waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.” He also used the post to criticize former President Joe Biden’s response, saying it was “pathetically weak” and allowed the Houthis to continue attacking. The attacks earlier this month killed more than 50 people, the BBC reported, and wounded nearly 100. Trump warned the Houthis that if they didn’t stop attacking the waterways, “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before!” He also warned Iran, which backs the Houthis, saying its support must end immediately.
Further Reading
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans (The Atlantic)
Hegseth Says ‘Nobody Was Texting War Plans’ After The Atlantic Editor Claims He Was Part Of Signal Chat (Forbes)
Trump Orders Military Strikes Against Houthis In Yemen And Threatens Iran (Forbes)
Fresh US strikes in Yemen with 53 now dead, Houthis say (BBC)
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