Michael Waltz, the national security advisor of the White House, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are speaking at a meeting in the Oval Office.
Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
A major controversy has erupted within President Donald Trump's team. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, "accidentally" joined a secret Signal group and witnessed discussions of classified information within the U.S. government.
Why did the journalist end up in the secret group?
The link to the secret chat on the Signal messenger was sent to Goldberg by Michael Waltz, the national security advisor to the U.S. president. The journalist thought it was a personal message, joined the group, and saw that the issue of attacking Yemen was being discussed there.
Participants in the chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other high-ranking officials.
What discussions took place in the chat?
The journalist noted that plans for striking Yemen, coordinates of designated targets for the attack, and U.S. economic interests were discussed.
Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism about the White House's decision and stated that he "hates to save Europe again."
The SM profile (presumably Stephen Miller) indicated that Trump had given a "green light" for the attack, but emphasized that economic benefits should be obtained in return.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed specific details of the attack, and shortly thereafter, Houthi positions indeed began to be targeted.
The journalist initially thought it was a prank, but after the attacks were carried out, group participants congratulated each other.
Goldberg's departure from the group and official statements
After this incident, Goldberg voluntarily left the group and sent an official inquiry to the White House and the Pentagon.
The National Security Council confirmed that the group indeed exists.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated that no military information was disclosed and called the journalist a "liar."
Donald Trump claimed to know nothing about it and emphasized that The Atlantic magazine would soon be closing.
Will advisor Michael Waltz be fired?
According to Politico, this incident may lead to Michael Waltz being dismissed. At least two officials in Trump's team believe he should resign.
It remains unclear how this incident will affect the security standards of the U.S. government and what measures will be taken. However, this event has caused a significant uproar in Washington.
