Trump Officials Accidentally Share Info on Military Strikes With Journalist

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration officials inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic (Left bias), in a messaging chain that detailed planned strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

The Details: The messaging took place on Signal Messenger. In a statement, a National Security Council spokesman said "the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain." Hegseth told reporters in Hawaii that "nobody was texting war plans," and called Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” The strikes in Yemen took place on March 15, targeting multiple leaders of the Iran-backed Houthis. 

Goldberg’s Account: “[I knew] two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” Goldberg wrote. Recirculating in the media from 2020, another article by Goldberg accused Trump of calling fallen US troops “suckers” and “losers” as they were buried in France. Trump has repeatedly denied the claim.

White House Response: "Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin," said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, claiming that "no 'war plans' were discussed" and "no classified material was sent to the thread."

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum varied in whether they focused on Hegseth or a broader group of "officials." New York Post (Lean Right) emphasized Goldberg’s 2020 article, pointing to a potential lack of credibility. The Hill (Center) gave voices to both defenses and criticisms of the Trump administration on either side of the political spectrum. The New York Times (Lean Left) added that "the conversation also took place outside of the secure government channels that would normally be used for classified and highly sensitive war planning."

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