A group chat of top U.S. national security officials accidentally looped in… the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
Jeffrey Goldberg says he was added to a Signal chat titled “Houthi PC small group” where senior Trump officials—including VP Vance and Defense Secretary Hegseth—debated the March 15 strike on Houthi rebels. Assuming it was fake, Goldberg silently watched the convo, which included specific targets, weapons, and timing, until the strike unfolded exactly as described.
He then left the chat and reached out for comment. The National Security Council confirmed the chat’s authenticity but called it “deep and thoughtful policy coordination.”
Lawmakers from both parties condemned the use of Signal—an encrypted but not-approved-for-classified-info messaging app—for sensitive war planning. President Trump called the incident a “glitch” while his top intelligence officials told Senators that “no classified information” was shared.