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A bipartisan group of lawmakers expressed outrage Monday after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, reported that he was mistakenly included in a private group chat among top Trump administration officials discussing classified U.S. military operations in Yemen. The breach, which was first revealed in The Atlantic, has sparked calls for an immediate congressional investigation.
Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the incident “one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense” he had ever witnessed.
“Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line,” Reed said. “The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous.”
Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the Republican chair of the same committee, acknowledged that “mistakes were made” and confirmed that classified briefings on the matter were likely forthcoming.
The controversy erupted after Goldberg disclosed that he had been inadvertently added to a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal. The chat reportedly included National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance. According to Goldberg, the messages revealed details of a planned U.S. strike on Houthi targets in Yemen shortly before it took place.
While The Atlantic refrained from publishing all of the messages due to their sensitivity, the report has raised serious concerns about how high-level national security discussions are conducted within the Trump administration.
Trump Officials Dismiss Concerns, Lawmakers Push for Answers
The National Security Council (NSC) acknowledged the authenticity of the messages and admitted to reviewing how an “inadvertent number” was added to the chat. However, in a statement to CBS News, the NSC defended the officials involved.
“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials,” an NSC spokesperson said. “The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our service members or our national security.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth strongly rejected the notion that sensitive war plans were discussed inappropriately.
“Nobody was texting war plans,” Hegseth said Monday evening. He also lashed out at Goldberg, calling him “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist” who “peddles hoaxes.”
President Donald Trump also dismissed the report, saying, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. It’s going out of business. It’s not much of a magazine.”
Democrats Call for Investigation, Republicans Divided
The revelation has prompted immediate calls for an investigation from congressional Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the matter “requires a full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created, and how we can avoid it in the future.”
“If our nation’s military secrets are being peddled around over unsecure text chains, we need to know that at once,” Schumer added.
Other Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), described the incident as “a dangerous level of incompetence” and “a shocking breach.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the situation “reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous,” questioning Trump’s hiring decisions for key national security positions.
“This is reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous,” Jeffries said. “Who are some of these people that Donald Trump has put into the most sensitive national security positions in America? We were promised that Donald Trump was going to hire the very best. It’s all phony.”
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) was particularly critical of the use of an encrypted messaging app for war discussions.
“You’re discussing war plans over the Signal app. I mean, that’s just unimaginable,” Smith said. “Anybody with just a rudimentary understanding of how national security works knows this, but apparently, Secretary Hegseth and Mike Waltz and the gang don’t know.”
Even some Republicans raised concerns. Representative Don Bacon (R-Neb.) warned that such breaches could put U.S. troops at risk.
“This can get our troops killed,” Bacon said. “Secure phones are mandatory for these kinds of communications. Russia and China are definitely monitoring their unclassified phones hoping they share info like this.”
Representative Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) echoed the concerns, stating, “Classified information should not be transmitted on unsecured channels—and certainly not to those without security clearances, including reporters. Period.”
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the officials involved, insisting that the controversy was overblown.
“That mission was a success. No one was jeopardized because of it,” Johnson said. “We’re grateful for that, but they will certainly, I’m sure, make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”
Johnson also dismissed calls for disciplinary action against Waltz, who reportedly started the group chat and inadvertently added Goldberg.
Next Steps: Investigation Likely
With bipartisan concerns mounting, congressional committees are expected to hold classified briefings to determine the full extent of the breach. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) underscored the severity of the issue.
“Let’s assume that the people on the Signal chat were probably the top targets for some of our global enemies,” Himes said. “It is by the grace of God that one of those enemies didn’t alert the Houthis in advance so they could reconfigure their anti-aircraft assets. Had they done that, we would be looking at dead pilots right now.”
As investigations loom, the administration faces tough questions about its security practices. Whether this breach was an isolated mistake or indicative of broader issues within the Trump administration’s handling of classified information remains to be seen.
