Have you ever accidentally messaged the wrong person? That’s embarrassing for anyone. But if you’re the National Security Advisor, it’s a matter of, well, national security.
On March 13, a U.S. official accidentally added a journalist to a sensitive group chat. That journalist was Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—a major news outlet.
Earlier that week, Goldberg received an invitation on a messaging app called Signal. Washington officials often use the app for non-sensitive business. Its encrypted messaging offers more security than normal texting. The invite came from national security advisor Michael Waltz.
Waltz added Goldberg to a group chat called “Houthi PC small group.” PC stands for “principals committee,” a group of senior White House staff.
The chat included 18 users. Goldberg recognized many of the names. They included U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and even Vice President J.D. Vance.
Goldberg at first doubted the chat was real. Nobody seemed to notice his presence. Why would the group add a journalist to the chat? But the longer the conversation went, the more real it appeared.
Officials discussed plans to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen. These terrorists have wreaked havoc on Europe’s shipping lanes. Finally, Secretary Hegseth sent the official plans. His message included information about targets, timing, even the number of jets the military would send.
Goldberg still couldn’t believe the chat was real. So he waited.
The attack happened just as the chat said.
It was true. For some reason, top officials had invited a journalist into sensitive battle plans. It looked like a surprisingly careless breach of national security.
Goldberg quickly left the chat. He reached out to White House officials. They confirmed the chat was real. Goldberg wrote about his experience in The Atlantic. He at first withheld details he considered too sensitive.
The article took off on social media. Security experts balked. U.S. allies in Europe called the leak “scary” and “reckless.” Families of military members expressed concern. What do such breaches mean for the safety of soldiers and pilots? Waltz took “full responsibility” for adding Goldberg by mistake.
Then other officials responded. Hegseth claimed no battle plans had been shared. Others agreed.
“There was no classified material that was shared in that Signal group,” U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate committee. President Trump himself chimed in. He said the chat didn’t reveal classified information.
Thus assured, The Atlantic published the full chat thread—even what Goldberg considered sensitive.
Was this wise? People disagree. President Trump and his staff said the chat wasn’t classified. If true, why not publish the messages? But what if officials lied, saying the messages weren’t classified just to save face in an embarrassing situation?
After hearing the officials involved say the information wasn’t classified, Goldberg chose to publish it. He says he wanted to let the American people decide for themselves about the nature of the content. He did redact (not reveal) one name to protect that identity for national security purposes.
Many Democrats and Republicans agree the leak was unsafe. What if this info had gone public before the attacks? The Houthis could have prepared. American pilots would have faced grave danger.
Pray that journalists and officials alike would have wisdom as they unravel this sticky situation—and act with prudence in the future.
