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United States government group chat leak

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Screenshots from the leaked chat showing US government officials commenting on relations with Europe, protecting Saudi Arabian oil facilities, and the March 2025 United States attacks in Yemen

From March 11 to March 15, 2025, a group of senior United States national-security officials in the second Trump administration used the Signal encrypted messaging service to discuss imminent military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. Among the chat's members were JD Vance, the vice president; Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense; Marco Rubio, the secretary of state; Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence; and Michael Waltz, the national security advisor. To this group, Waltz added, apparently inadvertently, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the American magazine The Atlantic.

On March 15, Hegseth used the group chat to share details of the impending strikes, including information on targets, weapons, and attack sequencing. The name of a CIA officer was also revealed, as was Vance's and Hegseth's disdain for European allies.[1] The chat became public on March 24, when Goldberg disclosed it in The Atlantic. A spokesman for the White House's National Security Council verified the chat's authenticity.

The incident raised concerns about senior national-security officials' failure to follow information-security practices, about what other sensitive national-security information they might have revealed, about whether they were following records-preservation laws, and more. The incident has been called "Signalgate" by some in the media.[2][3][4]

Background

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Main article: March 2025 United States attacks in Yemen
JD Vance and Pete Hegseth, two of the high-ranking officials of the second Trump administration who were in the group chat

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, the Houthi administration in Yemen began launching attacks on Israel and against international shipping in the Red Sea, including the bombing, hijacking and destruction of commercial vessels.[5] After assuming office in January 2025, the Trump administration sought to implement a more assertive response to Houthi disruptions of international shipping lanes than the preceding Biden administration had undertaken.[6]

Signal, the software at the center of the leak, is not an approved government platform for sharing classified information.

Signal, a mobile messaging app, reportedly gained popularity among government officials and the general public due to its robust security features, particularly in the aftermath of the Chinese telecommunications breach. According to Politico, the application was generally regarded as among the most secure messaging services available to the public. The application employs several notable security measures, including end-to-end encryption for all messages and voice calls by default, minimal data collection and an auto-deletion functionality allowing messages to disappear after a predetermined time period. However, cybersecurity experts such as former National Security Agency (NSA) hacker Jacob Williams stated that Signal was not certified or accredited for discussing classified government information. This was due to the potential of foreign agents to hack personal devices regardless of the platform's encryption, and the vulnerabilities involved when users link their Signal accounts to desktop computers, which store data outside a phone's secure enclave and potentially exposes it to malware.[7][8]

Leak

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The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg (left) was mistakenly added to the group chat by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz (right).

National Security Advisor Michael Waltz established a group conversation on Signal that reportedly included several high-ranking administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (identified as "TG"), United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent (identified as "Scott B"), presumed Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (identified as "S M"), White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.[6][9]

On March 11, 2025, during the creation of the group chat, Waltz sent a Signal request to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to join the conversation. On March 13, 2025, Waltz added Goldberg to a private Signal group chat labeled "Houthi PC small group",[10] with "PC" presumably referring to "Principals Committee", a term typically denoting a gathering of senior national security officials. Throughout the subsequent discussion, the officials allegedly shared sensitive operational details regarding the planned military strikes in Yemen, including specific information about targets, weapons systems and strike sequencing. The officials were apparently unaware of Goldberg's presence in the chat until after the operations had been conducted and the group had engaged in post-operation communications.[6][9][a] The group initially exchanged messages about staffing arrangements, with principals designating representatives from their departments for coordination purposes.[6]

Screenshots from the leaked chat showing "Pete Hegseth" discussing plans for the March 2025 United States attacks in Yemen.

On March 13, Witkoff was in Moscow meeting with Vladimir Putin, though it is not known if he had a device with Signal with him at the time.[12] Just after midnight (Moscow time), the chat named an active CIA intelligence officer; according to a Telegram post by Sergei Markov, Witkoff and Putin were in a meeting until 1:30am.[12]

On March 14, discussion in the group turned to prospective military action against Houthi targets. Witkoff had departed Russia and was in Baku, Azerbaijan.[12] The account identified as Vice President Vance expressed reservations about the operation's timing and alignment with administration messaging, suggesting a delay of one month. This account stated:[6]

I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There's a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.

— United States Vice President JD Vance

The Hegseth-associated account responded with a rationale for immediate action, pointing to risks of delaying, including potential leaks that might make the administration appear indecisive. The group discussion included exchanges about European economic interests in Red Sea shipping lanes and the administration's policy regarding cost-sharing with allies, with the Vance-associated account stating that "I just hate bailing Europe out again." while the Hegseth-associated account responded: "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this." An account presumed to be Stephen Miller's effectively ended the discussion by stating that the president had given a "green light", but wanted assurances that European nations would contribute financially to securing shipping lanes.[6]

On March 15 at 11:44 a.m. EDT (UTC-4), the Hegseth-associated account shared what Goldberg described as detailed operational information regarding imminent strikes, including target information, weapons systems to be employed and attack sequencing. Goldberg stated that this message indicated strikes were to commence at approximately 1:45 p.m. EDT.[6]

A screenshot from the leaked chat showing Michael Waltz updating JD Vance on the result of the March 2025 United States attacks in Yemen.

At approximately 1:55 p.m. EDT on March 15, Goldberg verified through social media reports that explosions were occurring in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. Following the strikes, group members exchanged congratulatory messages. The Waltz-associated account characterized the military operation as an "amazing job", while other accounts contributed affirmative responses.[6] The Waltz-associated account reportedly shared three emoji in response: a fist, an American flag and a fire symbol. A user identified as "MAR" believed to be Marco Rubio congratulated "Pete and your team!!" referencing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Steve Witkoff-associated account sent a message with five emoji: two praying hands, a flexed bicep and two American flags.[13] Witkoff at this point had returned to the United States.[12]

Goldberg observed the conversation without participating and eventually removed himself from the chat, which would have automatically notified the group creator. He received no inquiries about his participation or departure. He later published an article accounting the group chat in The Atlantic on March 24, 2025, revealing the security breach.[6][9] He expressed the concern of security experts that the coordination of national security operations over Signal potentially violated the Espionage Act. Signal is not an approved government platform for sharing classified information. The experts also raised concern at the group chat's potential violations of federal records laws requiring preservation of communications regarding official government business, due to the Signal group reportedly being configured so messages would automatically delete after periods of one week or four weeks. The inadvertent inclusion of a journalist in the group potentially constituted an unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to an individual without proper clearance.[6]

Response

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Trump administration

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When The Atlantic published its report on March 24, 2025, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes issued a statement confirming the message chain was authentic and indicating that they were "reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain". Hughes characterized the thread as demonstration of "deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials" and asserted there had been "no threats to troops or national security" resulting from the incident.[9]

After landing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in Hawaii, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that war plans had been discussed in text messages.[9][14][15]

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Trump maintained "utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz".[9]

Two hours after the article was released, during a speech President Trump gave alongside Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Trump was first questioned directly about the incident and he initially stated he was not aware of the incident.[16][15] The next day, March 25, during a phone interview with NBC News, he said that "[i]t was one of Michael [Waltz]'s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there," expressing his confidence in Waltz.[17]

Vance's communications director William Martin issued a statement affirming that "Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration's foreign policy" and that "The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement."[9]

According to anonymous sources within the administration, the incident caused significant internal concern, with multiple administration officials expressing shock at the security breach. Some speculated it could result in dismissals. Other officials indicated that Signal was widely used throughout the administration for communications, leading to internal discussions about implementing new guidance or rules for internal communications. There were no immediate indications that Trump planned to dismiss any officials over the matter.[9]

On March 25, at a White House event with US ambassadorial nominees, Waltz denied all interactions with Goldberg stating, "This one in particular, I've never met, don't know, never communicated with." Trump later commented, "I don't think he should apologize. I think he's doing his best."[18]

United States Congress

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House of Representatives

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Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson stated in regards to the leak: "I think it would be a terrible mistake for there to be adverse consequences on any of the people that were involved in that call. They were trying to do a good job, the mission was accomplished with precision. I think that's what matters in the end." He added, "Apparently an inadvertent phone number made it onto that thread. They're going to track that down and make sure that doesn't happen again."[9] Johnson expressed confidence that the administration would address the issue, stating: "They'll fix it. They'll fix it."[15]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) called for a congressional hearing into the incident, emphasizing the importance of understanding what happened and implementing measures to avert "this type of national security breach from ever happening again." Jeffries characterized the administration's handling of sensitive information as "reckless, irresponsible and dangerous". He further criticized the broader Trump administration, stating that Americans had been promised Trump intended to "hire only the very best" but instead the administration was "filled with lackeys and incompetent cronies".[15]

Representative Jim Himes (D-Connecticut), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed strong concern, stating he was "horrified" by reports that senior national security officials shared sensitive information via an encrypted but still commercial messaging application. He characterized the actions as "a brazen violation of laws and regulations that exist to protect national security".[9]

House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-New York) demanded that committee chair Brian Mast (R-Florida) hold a congressional hearing, and called the leak "the most astonishing breach of our national security in recent history".[7]

Senate

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) characterized the incident as "one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence" in recent history during a floor speech on March 24. Schumer urged his Republican colleagues to collaborate in a congressional hearing into the security breach, describing the situation as extraordinarily serious and requiring immediate attention.[15]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) stated that he would investigate the matter in detail.[15] Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) offered a more critical assessment, describing it as a "huge screw up" and suggesting that "the interagency would look at that",[9] referring to the fact that the group chat involved heads of multiple government agencies.

Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement calling the incident "one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense" he had witnessed during his career. He indicated his intention to seek immediate answers from the administration regarding the security lapse.[15] Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took a more measured approach but acknowledged the gravity of the situation. Speaking to reporters, Wicker confirmed that the committee was "very concerned" about the incident and planned to "look into it on a bipartisan basis". This represented one of the stronger responses from Republican leadership, as most GOP lawmakers explicitly avoided calling for investigations or hearings.[15]

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), an Iraq War veteran, characterized Hegseth as "the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in history" and accused him of "demonstrating his incompetence by literally leaking classified war plans in the group chat". She further asserted that "Hegseth and Trump are making our country less safe" through their handling of sensitive information.[15]

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) strongly condemned the incident, describing it on social media as "blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief". Warren characterized the administration officials as "complete amateurs" handling national security matters and questioned what other sensitive discussions might be occurring in similar unclassified settings, asking: "What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?"[13]

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) stated: "Think about what we would do if Biden were president and this came out... we would raise the roof." She added that "It's going to be interesting to see if anybody loses their job over this".[13]

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) described the incident as "egregious, reckless, and illegal".[13]

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), in an interview with Laura Ingraham, spoke against "leftish media", stating, "They can't argue with the policies, which the American people support, they can't argue with this new demonstration of American strength that is keeping Americans safe at home and abroad, so now we're griping about who's on a text message and who's not."[19]

Other political figures

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Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta commented that "somebody needs to get fired" and highlighted that if someone other than Goldberg had received the information, they "could reveal this information immediately to the Houthis in Yemen that they were about to be attacked".[9]

Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton responded to the news with a brief statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter): "You have got to be kidding me." This comment gained particular attention given previous scrutiny over Clinton's own handling of sensitive information during her tenure as Secretary of State, including an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server for Top Secret, confidential, official communications instead of official State Department email accounts maintained on federal servers.[13][15][20]

Pete Buttigieg, a former Naval Intelligence officer[21] who served as Transportation Secretary during the Biden administration, characterized the incident from "an operational security perspective" as "the highest level of fuckup imaginable" and concluded that "These people cannot keep America safe".[13]

John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor during Trump's first term, described the administration's use of Signal in any sense as "stunning".[22]

International

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European representatives reacted negatively to the leaked group chat, with various anonymous officials voicing concern for the "reckless" leaks and badmouthing of European nations as "freeloaders".[23][24] European officials nonetheless assured the public that their diplomatic relations with the United States remained stable and that the lives of their people were not at risk.[23][25] Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, in the context of his country's deteriorating relations with the United States, warned that the leaks meant that Canada has to start looking out more for itself in defense capabilities.[26]

On March 26, 2025, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that they were able to find private contact details for members of the group chat, including Gabbard, Hegseth, and Waltz, on the Internet. They did not publish this information, but informed the affected officials and the US Defense Department of their findings.[27]

Aftermath

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Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing

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On March 25, the annual hearing on worldwide threats before the Senate Intelligence Committee discussed the situation.[28][29] Republican senators Mike Rounds (South Dakota) and Todd Young (Indiana) said they would ask questions about the leak in the classified section of the hearing.[30]

Second Atlantic article

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In response to administration claims that no classified material was shared in the Signal group, Goldberg and Shane Harris published a second article in The Atlantic on March 26 containing the full text of the exchanges that took place during the March 15 attack on the Houthis, omitting only the name of a CIA operative. This revealed that the exchange included specific timing of planned military strikes.[10][31]

American Oversight lawsuit

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On March 26, a government watchdog group, American Oversight, filed suit in the District Court for the District of Columbia against Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe, Scott Bessent, Marco Rubio, and the National Archives and Records Administration, alleging that they failed to abide by the Federal Records Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. The case is assigned to judge James Boasberg.[32][33]

Boasberg is also presiding over another Trump administration case, J.G.G. v. Trump, involving use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals who are alleged to be members of the criminal gang Tren de Aragua. Journalist Colin Kalmbacher noted that in that case, the administration told Boasberg that it wouldn't provide him with information about the commercial flights used to take the Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador, claiming a state secrets privilege, while in this case, the administration has publicly insisted that no classified national security information was divulged.[34]

House Intelligence Committee hearing

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On March 26, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing in the context of the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community; it also discussed the leak situation.[35][36]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Signal users do not see the phone number of the participants by default. Users also have the option to allow calls by a unique user ID only.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Signal war plans chat: Read leaked texts in full". Newsweek. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Pindell, James (March 25, 2025). "Three things we've learned so far from 'Signalgate' about the Trump administration". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  3. ^ Benen, Steve (March 25, 2025). "Did the Trump White House cross legal lines in the 'Signalgate' debacle?". MSNBC. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  4. ^ Haltiwanger, John (March 26, 2025). "5 Key Questions About Signalgate". Foreign Policy. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  5. ^ "Who are the Houthis and why is the US targeting them?". BBC News. March 26, 2025. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Goldberg, Jeffrey (March 24, 2025). "The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Miller, Maggie; Nickel, Dana (March 25, 2025). "How secure is Signal? Cyber experts weigh in on Trump administration's use of the encrypted app for war planning". Politico. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  8. ^ Mann, Bill (March 25, 2025). "Signal Review 2025: Secure Messenger (Pros and Cons)". CyberInsider. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lillis, Katie Bo; Collins, Kaitlan; Zeleny, Jeff; Perez, Evan; Liebermann, Oren; Gangel, Jamie; Maher, Kit; Lyngaas, Sean (March 24, 2025). "Trump's national security adviser added a journalist to text chat on highly sensitive Yemen strike plans". CNN. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Goldberg, Jeffrey; Harris, Shane (March 26, 2025). "Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump's Advisers Shared on Signal". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames". Signal Messenger. February 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Stocker, Joanne (March 25, 2025). "As top Trump aides sent texts on Signal, flight data show a member of the group chat was in Russia". CBS News. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Top US officials shared Yemen strike plans with journalist in group chat – live updates". BBC News. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  14. ^ 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. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Copp, Tara. "Trump officials texted war plans to a group chat that included a journalist". Associated Press. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  16. ^ "President Trump Remarks with Louisiana Governor". C-SPAN. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  17. ^ Haake, Garrett; Lebowitz, Megan (March 25, 2025). "Trump stands by national security adviser Mike Waltz despite disclosing military plans, saying he's 'learned a lesson'". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  18. ^ Superville, Darlene (March 25, 2025). "Trump says Waltz doesn't need to apologize for Signal flap". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  19. ^ Irwin, Lauren (March 25, 2025). "Hawley knocks 'leftist media' for 'griping about who's on a text message'". The Hill. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  20. ^ Johnson, Carrie; Taylor, Jessica (January 29, 2016). "22 Hillary Clinton Emails Dubbed Top Secret". NPR. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  21. ^ Easley, Jonathan (May 5, 2019). "Documents provide glimpse into Buttigieg's military service". The Hill.
  22. ^ CNN – John Bolton reacts to news of Trump officials texting war plans to reporter. CNN. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ a b Lawless, Jill; Burrows, Emma; Riccardi, Nicholas (March 25, 2025). "America's allies alarmed by a leaked group chat about attack plans". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  24. ^ Adler, Katya (March 25, 2025). "Katya Adler: Disdain for Europe in US Signal chat horrifies EU". BBC News. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  25. ^ Wheeler, Brian (March 25, 2025). "No risk to UK lives from US security breach, says minister". BBC News. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  26. ^ Cecco, Leyland; Corlett, Eva (March 25, 2025). "US war plans leak shows Five Eyes allies must 'look out for ourselves', says Mark Carney". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  27. ^ Beuth, Patrick; Diehl, Jörg; Höfner, Roman; Lehberger, Roman; Röhreke, Friederike; Schmid, Fidelius (March 26, 2025). "Private Data and Passwords of Senior U.S. Security Officials Found Online". Spiegel International. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  28. ^ Eric Tucker; David Klepper (March 25, 2025). "WATCH: Trump intelligence officials testify in Senate hearing after war plans revealed to journalist in group chat". PBS News Hour. Retrieved March 25, 2025. [Includes video]
  29. ^ DNI Director Gabbard, FBI Director Patel & Other National Security Officials Testfy on Global Threats (Internet video). C-SPAN. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025. [Includes transcription]
  30. ^ Hauslohner, Abigail; Strobel, Warren P. (March 25, 2025). "Democrats slam intel chiefs over Trump team's Signal leak of war plans". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  31. ^ Michael, Chris (March 26, 2025). "Newly shared Signal messages show Trump advisers discussed Yemen attack plans". The Guardian. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  32. ^ Bohannon, Molly (March 26, 2025). "Judge Who Blocked Trump's Deportation Flights Assigned To Signalgate Lawsuit". Forbes. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  33. ^ Rubin, Olivia; Charalambous, Peter (March 26, 2025). "Lawsuit over Trump administration's Signal group chat assigned to judge in deportation case". ABC News. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  34. ^ Kalmbacher, Colin (March 26, 2025). "Judge in deportation case will oversee lawsuit against Trump's cabinet over group chat". Law & Crime. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  35. ^ "Press Releases. Chairman Crawford Announces Open Full Committee Hearing on 2025 Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment". House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025. [Includes link to video]
  36. ^ WATCH LIVE: Trump officials testify in House hearing as more details on Signal chat released (Internet video). PBS News Hour. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
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