Trump Officials Yemen War Leak: Journalist Accidentally Added to Secret Group Chat on Houthi Strikes
In a startling case of digital miscommunication, Trump officials Yemen war leak has become a talking point after top aides in former President Donald Trump’s circle accidentally included a journalist in a highly confidential Signal group chat. This blunder occurred just hours before the United States launched airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The recipient of the sensitive information was none other than Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who discovered that he was mistakenly added to a Signal group named “Houthi PC small group”—a chat created for high-level planning around the imminent Yemen military operation.
The Accidental Insider: How the Leak Unfolded
The Trump officials Yemen war leak came to light when Goldberg revealed in a detailed article that he had been given front-row access to the classified conversations. The group, formed just before the strikes, was meant to include only Trump’s closest national security advisors and military planners. Instead, it unknowingly included a journalist observing in real time as war plans were shared.
Goldberg admitted to receiving an actual war plan from former Fox News host Pete Hegseth at 11:44 a.m. on the day of the strike. This plan outlined the weapon systems to be used, timing, and the exact targets in Yemen. The airstrikes began just two hours later at 1:45 p.m. ET.
.@SecDef Hegseth on @JeffreyGoldberg: "You're talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again…This is a guy who peddles in garbage…Nobody was texting war plans and that's all I have to say." pic.twitter.com/IEYyMPYQBz
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 24, 2025
Who Was in the Group Chat?
The Trump officials Yemen war leak involved high-profile individuals impersonating or identified as key figures in Trump’s would-be administration. These included:
- Mike Waltz – National Security Adviser
- JD Vance – Vice President
- Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary
- Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
- Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence
- John Ratcliffe – CIA Director
- Steve Witkoff – Middle East and Ukraine Envoy
- Susie Wiles – White House Chief of Staff
- Stephen Miller – Homeland Security Adviser
There were reportedly 18 members in the group, along with Goldberg, who was displayed as “JG.”
What the Leaked Messages Revealed
This Trump officials Yemen war leak has offered an unprecedented look into the internal debates and missteps within Trump’s advisory circle. JD Vance, writing from Michigan, raised concerns about the timing of the military action, particularly in contrast with Trump’s messaging on European conflicts.
“I think we are making a mistake,” Vance wrote. “This is inconsistent with the President’s message on Europe. We might see a major spike in oil prices.”
After Secretary Hegseth argued “nobody was texting war plans," The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg responds: “That’s a lie. He was texting war plans, he was texting attack plans."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) March 25, 2025
"When targets were going to targeted. How they were going to be targeted. Who was at the targets. When… pic.twitter.com/cKYh5NOIW7
Joe Kent, nominated as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, echoed this sentiment, noting there was “no urgency” for immediate action.
The internal back-and-forth added more tension to an already volatile situation and revealed that multiple senior members were not aligned on the operation’s execution.
Bombs Over Sanaa: Aftermath of the Operation
After the strikes commenced across Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, congratulatory texts began circulating in the group. CIA Director Ratcliffe remarked, “A good start,” while National Security Adviser Waltz celebrated the “amazing job.” Other messages praised CENTCOM and the operational team on the ground.
The Trump officials Yemen war leak ended up exposing these post-strike reactions, offering a rare and uncensored view into how top officials assessed military actions — and how casual their tone was, despite the gravity of the situation.
Who Is Jeffrey Goldberg?
At the center of the Trump officials Yemen war leak, Jeffrey Goldberg, 65, is a seasoned journalist and editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. He’s won multiple Pulitzer Prizes and has served as a correspondent for The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Magazine.
His experience as a Middle East correspondent and his military background in the Israel Defense Forces gave him a unique perspective on the seriousness of what he received — and why it was so shocking that he was added to a chat with such sensitive material.
National Security Concerns Raised
The Trump officials Yemen war leak has sparked serious national security concerns. Experts have pointed out the recklessness of using unsecured platforms like Signal to plan classified operations — let alone adding unintended participants. While Goldberg refrained from publishing any classified visuals or tactical data, the damage caused by the leak is still under scrutiny.
It also raises broader questions about how a future Trump administration might handle sensitive information, especially given past concerns over unsecured communication and breaches of protocol.
Conclusion
The Trump officials Yemen war leak serves as a wake-up call about the risks of miscommunication in high-stakes geopolitical scenarios. With military operations on the line, even a simple mistake—like adding the wrong contact—can result in major intelligence breaches. Whether this incident will lead to accountability or internal reforms remains to be seen.