The Trump administration faces the political increase after the White House confirmed that a journalist was inadvertently added to a non -safe group chat in which North National Security officials -Americans planned a military strike at Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg of Atlantic Magazine informed which was included in a signal group where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were apparently among the members.
He said he saw military plans classified for U.S. strikes at Huthi rebels, including arms packages, goals and synchronization, two hours before the bombs.
The report led to a storm of criticism of the Democrats and the concerns between various Republicans.
Critics call for leakage investigations
Goldberg said he was added to the message chain, apparently by accident, after receiving a connection request from someone who seemed to be the national security consultant at the White House Michael Waltz.
« If they were going to choose a wandering phone number, I mean, at least it was not someone who supported the Houthis, because they really handed out information that I think could have jeopardized the lives of North -American Services people involved in this operation, » PBS told PBS in an interview.
President Donald Trump told journalists on Monday afternoon that he was not aware of the Atlantic article.
« Hithis attacks have been very successful and effective, » Karoline Leavitt, a White House Secretary, said in a statement.
« President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Minister Mike Waltz. »
The Secretary of Defense also defended the military operation discussed in the chat, quoting his success. When journalists pressed, Hegseth criticized Goldberg as a « misleading and highly discredited » journalist and resisted questions about the content of the messages.
The President of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, a Republican, said that the breach was a mistake, but argued that the chat showed « top -notch officials who did their job, doing it. »
Democratic legislators demanded an investigation, launching the episode as a national security scandal.
« This is one of the most impressive breaches of military intelligence I have read in a very long time, » said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, said that his group was planning to investigate the matter.
« This is certainly a concern, » he added. « It seems that mistakes were made. »
VANCE disagrees with Trump
On March 11, Atlantic Goldberg’s chief publisher he wrote in his article that he received a connection request to the encrypted messaging application signal of an account that he intended to be Waltz.
He said he initially wondered if the group’s chat messages could be a deception until four days later, on Saturday, March 15, when he was sitting in a supermarket car park, seeing Signal Communications on a strike.
When he checked X if there were updates about Yemen, he wrote, he was stunned to see explosions reports in the capital of Sanaa.
An Houthi official published X at that time that 53 people had been killed To aerial attacks in the United States.
Washington journalists and officials generally use the signal by the safe nature of their communications, the ability to create alias and send missing messages.
Two days later, Goldberg said he was added to a signal chat entitled « Huthi Pc Small Group ».
Goldberg reported several accounts that it seemed to belong to Cabinet members and national security officials in the chat of 18 people, Goldberg reported.
« JD Vance », the name of the Vice President; « Pete Hegseth », the Secretary of Defense; and « John Ratcliffe », director of the Central Intelligence Agency; It was between the names of the chain.
There were also the highest national security officials of various agencies, including Tullesi Gabbard, Trump’s National Intelligence Director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
At one point during communications on strikes, the « JD Vance » account seemed to be in disagreement with Trump, Goldberg reported.
« I am not sure that the President is aware of the inconsistency with his message in Europe right now, » Vance account wrote at approximately 8:15 on March 14.
« There is another risk that we see a moderate rise in severe in oil prices.
“I am willing to support team consensus and to keep these concerns.
« But there is a strong argument to delay a month, do the messaging work on the reason why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc. »
In a statement to the BBC on Monday, Vance spokesman William Martin said that the vice president « unequivocally supports the foreign policy of this administration.
« The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations on this subject and they agree complete, » said Martin.
The National Security Council confirmed much of the Atlantic report.
Spokesman Brian Hughes said to the BBC: « At this time, the message thread was reported authentic. We are reviewing how an unobverted number was added to the chain.
« The thread is a demonstration of deep and reflective political coordination between senior officials. »
The messages exploit « pathetic » Europe
Goldberg reported that officials also discussed the potential that Europe paid for US protection from key shipping lanes.
« Whether or several weeks now, they will have to be the United States that reopens these maritime lanes, » the account associated with Waltz wrote on March 14.
The message continued, saying that, at Trump’s request, his team was working with the Department of Defense and the Department of State « to determine how to collect the associated cost and collect them to Europeans ».
At one point in the thread, Vance’s account stunned that the strikes would benefit Europeans, due to their confidence in those maritime lanes, adding: « I just hate resignation in Europe. »
The user identified as Hegseth responded three minutes later: « VP: I fully share your European Free Load Load. It is pathetic. »
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