Senior members of Donald Trump’s cabinet have been found to have discussed top-secret military plans for US attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen using the commercially available chat app Signal, inadvertently including a prominent journalist in the group. The breach was revealed by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the Atlantic magazine, who discovered he had been added to a Signal chat called “Houthi PC Small Group” alongside 18 other members, including Vice-President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
The discussions included operational details of strikes against the Houthis, with Hegseth at one point boasting of “100 percent OPSEC” while a journalist was reading his messages. Goldberg noted that he removed sensitive material from his account, including the identity of a senior CIA officer and current operational details. The use of Signal, which is not approved by the US government for sharing sensitive information, has raised serious concerns about security protocols.
The news sparked outrage in Washington, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time.” Democratic Representative Pat Ryan, an army veteran, described the situation using the term “Fubar” – meaning “fucked up beyond all recognition”. The National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes confirmed the authenticity of the message chain but said there were no threats to troops or national security.
President Donald Trump told reporters he was unaware of the incident, adding, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of the Atlantic.” Hegseth attacked Goldberg but denied texting war plans, a claim Goldberg refuted in an interview with CNN. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed continued confidence in the national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
The breach is unprecedented for the highest echelons of US government, highlighting vulnerabilities in using commercial chat services for classified discussions. It is likely to further erode trust among allies regarding the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive intelligence.
