Trump officials accidentally add journalist to war on Yemen chat

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Atlantic
24 Mar 2025 22:28

According to The Atlantic, the editor-in-chief of the magazine became aware of the planned strikes nearly two hours before they occurred, after receiving a message from Hegseth at 11:44 am on March 15 that contained precise operational details.

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A screenshot from the Signal group shows reactions to the strikes on Yemen (The Atlantic)

The Atlantic on Monday published a report detailing a highly unusual breach of operational security within the Trump administration, revealing that a journalist was inadvertently included in a private Signal group chat where top US officials coordinated military strikes on Yemen.

The chat, which included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, and others, featured detailed discussions of timing, targets, and weapons packages—information that would normally be confined to classified government systems.

According to The Atlantic, the editor-in-chief of the magazine became aware of the planned strikes nearly two hours before they occurred, after receiving a message from Hegseth at 11:44 am on March 15 that contained precise operational details. The airstrikes began shortly before 2 pm Eastern time, hitting alleged Resistance targets across Yemen. The journalist, whose inclusion in the group was unintentional, was not removed or questioned by any participants before or after the strikes.

The group chat, titled "Houthi PC small group," appears to have included key members of the Trump administration's national security team, including individuals identified as "MAR" (Marco Rubio, Secretary of State), "JD Vance" (Vice President), "TG" (possibly Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence), and "S M" (believed to be Stephen Miller).

At one point in the chat, "JD Vance" raised concerns about the operation's timing and its potential economic fallout, writing, "I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There's a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself."

While Vance expressed hesitations, others in the thread, including Hegseth and Waltz, argued for immediate action. "Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus," Hegseth wrote. "I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space." A message later attributed to "S M" read, "As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return."

The Atlantic's report points out that the information shared on Signal included classified operational details and potentially compromised national security. Several national security lawyers interviewed for the article suggested that such conduct may have violated the Espionage Act and federal records laws.

"Under the records laws applicable to the White House and federal agencies, all government employees are prohibited from using electronic-messaging applications such as Signal for official business, unless those messages are promptly forwarded or copied to an official government account," said Jason R. Baron, former director of litigation at the National Archives.

Adding to the legal concerns, some messages in the chat were reportedly set to disappear automatically, raising questions about compliance with records preservation requirements.

The chat messages also included congratulatory remarks following the attack, with Waltz calling the operation an "amazing job," and "Susie Wiles," identified as White House chief of staff, writing, "Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless."

In response to inquiries from The Atlantic, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes confirmed the authenticity of the Signal thread. "This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain," he said.

Hughes defended the operation's execution, stating, "The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security."

William Martin, spokesperson for Vice President Vance, noted that Vance remains fully aligned with President Trump. "The Vice President's first priority is always making sure that the President's advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations," he said. "Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration's foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement."

The article concludes with serious concerns about how sensitive military operations were handled. The journalists removed themselves from the group chat only after realizing the gravity of the information being exchanged—by which point the operation was already underway.