White House Shares Yemen War Plans with a Journalist at The Atlantic/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Trump administration officials shared details of military operations in a secure group chat that included a journalist. The messages outlined U.S. strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels and raised serious national security concerns. Lawmakers from both parties are demanding investigations into the breach.
Trump War Plan Leak Quick Looks
- War plans for Yemen strikes sent via Signal app to private group chat.
- Chat included top Trump officials and The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief.
- National Security Council confirmed the group chat appeared authentic.
- Details included targets, weapons, and sequence of attacks.
- Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg received the chat invite from Trump’s NSA.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied sending war plans, called story “deceitful.”
- Trump dismissed concerns, later joked about leak on social media.
- Democrats, Republicans call for investigations into the potential security breach.
- Critics cite Espionage Act and risk to U.S. military personnel.
- Previous administrations restricted use of Signal for sensitive communications.
White House Shares Yemen War Plans with a Journalist at The Atlantic
Deep Look
A group chat on the encrypted app Signal involving President Donald Trump’s top national security officials reportedly included war plans for a U.S. military operation—along with a prominent journalist. The startling revelation, first published by The Atlantic and confirmed by the National Security Council as “appearing authentic,” has triggered bipartisan outrage and demands for accountability.
The chat involved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. According to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, he received a Signal invitation from Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and began seeing messages containing operational details for U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The messages reportedly included sensitive information such as specific targets, weapon systems to be deployed, and the sequence of attacks. Just two hours after Goldberg received the information, the U.S. launched a wave of airstrikes in Yemen on March 15.
While it remains unclear whether the contents of the messages were formally classified, operational military plans are generally considered sensitive and safeguarded for security reasons. Their unauthorized disclosure can put U.S. forces at risk and violate federal law, including sections of the Espionage Act.
Initially unaware of the breach, Trump later downplayed the situation, joking about it on social media by reposting a satirical headline suggesting that leaking war plans to The Atlantic was a strategic move because “no one would ever see them.” Earlier in the day, he told reporters he had not been informed of the leak and dismissed The Atlantic as “not much of a magazine.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality now serving as Defense Secretary, denied that war plans were discussed in the chat, calling Goldberg “a deceitful, discredited so-called journalist.” He did not explain why an unclassified messaging app was used for such high-level discussions or how a journalist was added to the group.
Despite the app’s reputation for security, Signal is not authorized for transmitting classified information. Experts point out that while encrypted, Signal communications can still be vulnerable to infiltration and are not protected by the same protocols used on classified government networks.
The incident has triggered alarm across Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence” in recent memory. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, labeled the act “careless” and “dangerous,” vowing to seek answers from the Trump administration.
Representative Jim Himes, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said any lower-level employee caught leaking such material would face severe consequences. “The American people deserve answers,” he stated.
Some Republicans echoed the concern. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said he planned to investigate the matter in coordination with Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune added, “We’ve got to run it to the ground, figure out what went on there.”
In contrast, House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the officials involved, calling them “mission-focused” and warning against punitive actions. “The mission was accomplished with precision,” he said.
The leak comes just as Hegseth’s office announced plans to crack down on unauthorized disclosures, potentially including polygraph tests for defense personnel. The irony has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers and critics.
The controversy has also highlighted internal divisions over U.S. strategy in the Middle East. In the Signal messages, Vice President Vance expressed doubts about the timing of the strikes, warning they could lead to “a moderate to severe spike in oil prices.” He questioned whether the operation was premature and suggested delaying it by a month to better prepare public messaging.
“I just hate bailing Europe out again,” Vance said in the chat. Hegseth replied, “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC… I think we should go.”
Despite the backlash, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said President Trump continues to have “the utmost confidence” in Waltz and the rest of the national security team.
Under existing federal law, including the Espionage Act, it is a crime to remove or mishandle national defense information—even if done through gross negligence. The Justice Department previously investigated Hillary Clinton for handling classified emails on a private server, though no charges were filed.
During the Biden administration, limited use of Signal was permitted for logistical communications but not for operational military discussions. A former national security official confirmed that Biden’s top aides avoided using Signal for sensitive planning.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, posted on social media that Hegseth, “the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in history,” had “literally leaked classified war plans in the group chat.”
As inquiries from lawmakers intensify, the administration faces growing pressure to explain how the breach occurred and what protocols—if any—will be put in place to prevent future lapses in security at the highest levels of government.
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