Leaked Signal chat: Waltz’s blunder shakes US security
Photo: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Getty Images)
The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was accidentally added to a secret chat of Donald Trump’s administration, where officials were discussing strikes on Yemeni Houthis. This led to a major scandal, putting National Security Advisor Mike Waltz at risk of dismissal.
Everything known about the leak from the secret Signal chat and the scandal surrounding it is detailed below by RBC-Ukraine.
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What's known about the leak from secret Signal chat
On March 11, President Trump’s administration accidentally added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to an online chat where top US officials were discussing classified plans for strikes on Yemeni Houthis.
Initially, Goldberg himself wrote about the incident in a detailed article. Later, the White House confirmed the leak, with National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes verifying the authenticity of the messages in the Signal group.
"We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain [the Signal conversation]," Hughes stated.
Signal is a highly encrypted messaging service, widely used by journalists and individuals, and requires more privacy than traditional messaging apps provide.
Initially, Goldberg did not believe the chat was real or that high-ranking officials were discussing a classified operation. He recounted that he received an invitation to join Signal from Michael Waltz.
After accepting the request, Goldberg found himself in a chat named "Houthi PC small group" (a group of senior US national security officials). Inside, Trump administration officials were discussing planned strikes on Yemeni Houthis for March 15.
Goldberg doubted that the request was from the real Waltz. He suspected it was a trap someone impersonating the US national security advisor set.
Nonetheless, he accepted the Signal invitation. Two days later, he was notified that he was being added to a restricted group discussing the Houthi issue, “especially over the next 72 hours.”
For the next few days, Goldberg observed conversations containing top-secret information—ranging from US weaponry to Washington’s tactical maneuvers in the Middle East.
He stated that messages in the chat were sent by several users, including those with names resembling Vance (Vice President of the US) and Hegseth (Secretary of Defense). In total, 18 US officials were in the group, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The final confirmation that this was an authentic secret operation, Goldberg said, was a message from the US Secretary of Defense detailing the upcoming strikes, including targets, deployed weaponry, and the attack sequence.
"Did they know that I was included in this group? Was I (on the off chance) included on purpose? If not, who did they think I was? Did anyone realize who I was when I was added, or when I removed myself from the group? Do senior Trump-administration officials use Signal regularly for sensitive discussions?" Goldberg questioned.
Goldberg suggested that Waltz may have violated several provisions of the US Espionage Act. He argued that the official should never have created a chat on Signal, as the app is not approved by the government for handling classified information.
"I have never seen a breach quite like this. It is not uncommon for national-security officials to communicate on Signal. But the app is used primarily for meeting planning and other logistical matters — not for detailed and highly confidential discussions of a pending military action," Goldberg noted.
Trump’s reaction
Journalists asked Trump if he was aware of the leak during his meeting with Louisiana state officials at the White House. He denied any knowledge of the incident.
"I don’t know anything about this. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic; for me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I don’t know anything about it," Trump responded.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was actually upset about the leak, but it remains unclear whether he would fire Waltz. Sources say Trump asked his aides on Monday how Waltz could have been so careless.
WSJ also reminded readers that Waltz criticized the US Department of Justice two years ago for not investigating his predecessor, Jake Sullivan, after he sent classified emails to Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.
Despite the controversy, official White House statements indicate that Trump still "strongly trusts" his national security team, including Waltz. White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt confirmed this.
Waltz may be dismissed
According to Politico, President Trump may dismiss his National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, over the data leak about Yemen attacks in the Signal chat.
The White House is expected to decide within the next few days. Meanwhile, administration officials are urging Waltz to resign voluntarily. Internal discussions are underway with participants in the chat, including The Atlantic journalist.
"It was reckless not to check who was on the thread. It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal. You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser," a Politico source stated.
"Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f*cking idiot" the agency quoted a person close to the White House as saying.
A third person familiar with the consequences of the incident reported that Trump spoke with Waltz about the situation, and for now, the White House is standing by him.
A fourth White House official stated that internal pressure on Waltz to admit his mistake is increasing, which could lead to his resignation. However, this official noted that Waltz’s fate depends largely on how Trump himself views the situation.
Two officials suggested that while Trump could blame Waltz for a potential national security violation, he could just as easily become frustrated with Vice President Vance for deviating from his foreign policy stance in the chat, or blame Secretary of Defense Hegseth for sharing sensitive details with the group.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Congress Mike Johnson told Politico that Waltz "absolutely should not" resign, arguing that he is "extremely qualified for this job."
Pentagon Chief accuses The Atlantic editor of lying
According to CNN, the US Secretary of Defense denied that military plans were discussed in the Signal chat, where The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief was accidentally added.
"Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that," Hegseth responded to reporters’ questions about the incident.
Additionally, Hegseth called The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief a "dishonest and highly discredited so-called journalist."
However, the journalist maintains that Hegseth lied when he claimed "no one wrote war plans in the chat." Speaking on CNN, Goldberg stated that Hegseth did, in fact, send messages detailing when, who, and how the targets would be attacked.
Furthermore, he pointed out that none of the 18 participants in the secret chat noticed that a new person had joined and later left.
Meanwhile, the leak of US military plans in the Signal chat has sparked outrage among lawmakers from both parties in the US. Democrats are calling for an investigation and potential consequences for national security officials involved in the incident.
Republicans are also demanding an investigation. "We’re very concerned about it and we’ll be looking into it on a bipartisan basis," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (Mississippi). He noted that the Committee plans to launch an investigation into the situation.
Sources: The Atlantic, Politico, CNN, BBC, The Guardian, and Sky News.
