Draft:2025 United States military plan leak
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Comment: Article already exists at United States government Signal group chat leak 𐩣𐩫𐩧𐩨 Abo Yemen (𓃵) 12:33, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
 |  The page 2025 United States military plan leak in the mainspace is currently a redirect to United States government group chat leaks.Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by Antured (talk | contribs) 7 days ago. (Update)
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On March 24, 2025, The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he had been added to a Signal group chat with information about forthcoming missile strikes in Yemen.
Background
[edit]On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack on Israel. The Houthis responded to the resulting Gaza war by firing missiles at Israel.[1]
Signal is an encrypted messaging platform. Georgetown University professor Matt Blaze noted that devices running Signal are "fundamentally insecure" and may be susceptible to being compromised, rendering Signal's encryption obsolete.[2] According to the Associated Press, some White House officials were cleared to use Signal infrequently in order to communicate outside of the office and to notify other officials to check their email.[3] Signal has not been authorized as a platform to share classified information.[4]
Leak
[edit]On March 11, 2025, Michael Waltz, the national security advisor, added Jeffrey Goldberg as a contact on Signal. Two days later, Goldberg was added to a group chat named "Houthi PC small group", in apparent reference to the United States National Security Council Principals Committee. The group's eighteen members included vice president JD Vance, secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. On March 15, two hours before missile strikes in Yemen began, Hegseth detailed exact weapons, targets, and attack sequences. The messages reveal an internal debate whether to launch the strikes, with Vance arguing that they would present a difficult message.[1]
Goldberg revealed that he had been added to the group chat in an article for The Atlantic on March 24.[1]
Responses
[edit]Federal government
[edit]Following Goldberg's article, the Trump administration confirmed the account. According to The New York Times, the discussion of war plans over Signal could have violated the Espionage Act of 1917;[5] the discussions may have also violated the National Security Act of 1947, according to USA Today.[6] President Donald Trump said that he had no knowledge of the incident.[7] Trump advisor Elon Musk posted an article from the satirical newspaper The Babylon Bee on X joking that the "best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of The Atlantic magazine, because no one ever goes there" that was later reposted by Trump.[8] Trump was later briefed on the article and reportedly criticized Goldberg, according to CNN;[9] the network also reported that the White House would reconsider its use of Signal[10] and that officials were surprised by Waltz including Goldberg in the group chat.[11] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had "utmost confidence" in Waltz and the National Security Council.[12] Hegseth denied that Trump officials were "texting war plans".[13]
Congress
[edit]Speaker of the House Mike Johnson rejected calls for investigations into Trump officials.[14] The incident elicited concern from several Republican senators, including John Cornyn.[15] Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, and Susan Collins, though others, including Mike Rounds, said they would wait for a full briefing. Senator John Kennedy dismissed the leak as a "mistake".[16] Senate majority leader John Thune said that the Senate would "figure out what went on".[17] The leak was also criticized by House Republicans, including Mike Lawler.[18] Don Bacon, a former brigadier general in the Air Force, said he would have lost security clearance over the incident, and expressed disdain over descriptions of U.S. allies by Vance and Hegseth.[19]
The incident was condemned by Senate Democrats, including Tammy Duckworth,[3] Chris Coons,[15] Mark Warner, and Ruben Gallego,[20] and by House Democrats, including Hakeem Jeffries,[21] Pat Ryan, Katherine Clark, Jim Himes, and Seth Moulton.[15] Rhode Island senator Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, stated that the "story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen."[5] Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into the incident.[22] According to Axios, Democrats are preparing hearings over the incident.[21]
Other responses
[edit]Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who received criticism for her handling of government emails, jovially criticized the leak on X.[5] John Bolton, Trump's former national security advisor, called the incident "appalling".[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Goldberg, Jeffrey (March 24, 2025). "The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Lamothe, Dan; Birnbaum; Hauslohner, Abigail; Strobel, Warren; Nakashima, Ellen (March 24, 2025). "Trump officials shared war planning in unclassified chat with journalist". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Copp, Tara; Madhani, Aamer; Tucker, Eric (March 24, 2025). "Trump officials texted war plans to a group chat in a secure app that included a journalist". Associated Press. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Wadhams, Nick (March 24, 2025). "Atlantic Editor Included in Trump Team's War Plan Text Group". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric (March 24, 2025). "Officials Included Journalist in Group Chat on Yemen Attack Plans in Extraordinary Breach". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Mayes-Osterman, Cybele; Meyer, Josh; Vanden Brook, Tom (March 24, 2025). "Trump's top officials shared secret war plans in chat that included journalist". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Pager, Tyler (March 24, 2025). "President Trump said he had no knowledge of the article posted Monday in The Atlantic that revealed top administration officials had discussed sensitive national security matters in a Signal group chat that included a journalist". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Maher, Kit (March 24, 2025). "Trump reposts Musk's X post appearing to make light of Atlantic revelations". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Treene, Alayna (March 24, 2025). "Trump was briefed on Atlantic story about text chat on Yemen attack plans, sources say". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Zeleny, Jeff (March 24, 2025). "The White House is reviewing Signal use in the wake of the security protocol breach, officials say". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Collins, Kaitlan (March 24, 2025). "Trump officials stunned that reporter was included on sensitive group chat on Yemen plans". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Maher, Kit (March 24, 2025). "Trump has "utmost confidence" in Waltz and national security team, press secretary says". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Hammond, Elise (March 24, 2025). "Hegseth says "nobody was texting war plans" when asked about Atlantic report". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Miller, Maya (March 24, 2025). "House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, dismissed the idea that there should be additional investigations or discipline for Trump administration officials involved in the Signal chat where they discussed secret war plans in the presence of a journalist". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c Raju, Manu (March 24, 2025). "GOP senator says Trump team accidentally sharing war plans with reporter "sounds like a huge screw up"". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Miller, Maya (March 24, 2025). "Republican senators returning to the Capitol after a week in their home states are facing a barrage of questions about Trump administration officials having shared classified war plans over the public messaging app Signal". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Barrett, Ted (March 24, 2025). "Thune says Senate will "figure out what went on" with Trump officials' use of text chat for war plans". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Gordon, Michael; Youssef, Nancy; Ward, Alexander (March 24, 2025). "Top Trump Officials Debated War Plans on Unclassified Chat Shared With Journalist". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Graef, Aileen; Raju, Manu; Monnin, Jenna (March 24, 2025). ""I would have lost my security clearance": GOP lawmaker and military veteran slams officials for Signal chat". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Rimmer, Morgan (March 24, 2025). "Democrats swiftly condemn Trump administration's use of Signal app to discuss Yemen strike plan". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Green, Justin; Solender, Andrew; Kight, Stef; Neukam, Stephen (March 24, 2025). "Congress lines up to grill Trump officials on secret Signal chat". Axios. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Knowles, Hannah (March 24, 2025). "Schumer calls for investigation after war plans discussed on Signal chat". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2025.