The Atlantic’s most senior editor stated he was part of a texting group in which senior US officials mapped out detailed plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen with other senior US officials, an unprecedented security breach from an administration that has repeatedly vowed to clamp down on leaks.
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg explained in a 3,500-word article on Monday how he got a connection request on the Signal messaging app from someone named Michael Waltz. He initially believed the demand to be fictitious, but later learned the account of the US national security adviser was authentic after the group discussed sophisticated schemes for an assault on the Houthis, an extremist group which has carried out numerous attacks on Red Sea commercial ships.
Goldberg did not show the actual plans in the article. But he said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth once posted a message that included “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” The attacks went ahead several hours later.
The messages give a previously unseen glimpse into the administration’s thinking about the Houthis and internal politics, as they contain a principals’ discussion, including Vice President JD Vance, who explained to the group his initial doubts about the strikes. Vance at one point gave tepid criticism of President Donald Trump’s intentions. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” according to a message from a number believed to be Vance’s. “There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices.”
This event goes to underscore the paramount need for rigid compliance with set standards of handling classified information, and by the seniormost available officers of the nation at that. As the administration is wringing its hands regarding the implications, demands for accountability and a reconstruction of communication standards to provide for national security are growing.
