The editor of The Atlantic reported that he was accidentally included in a Trump administration group chat about the U.S. plans to bomb Yemen.
A number of lawmakers expressed outrage Monday after the editor of The Atlantic reported that he was accidentally included in a group chat involving top Trump administration officials about the United States‘ highly sensitive war plans in Yemen.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle criticized the security breach, though Democrats took a harsher stance about how it should be addressed, with many demanding an immediate investigation.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the breach represents „one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense“ he has ever seen.
„Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line. The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the Administration immediately“, Reed’s statement said.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chair of the Armed Services Committee, said, „It’s definitely a concern, and it appears that mistakes were made.“
„There are likely to be classified briefings about this soon“, Wicker said, adding that his committee will „absolutely“ look into it.
In a piece published Monday, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, recounted how he says he was inadvertently added to a group chat that included national security adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and others on the encrypted messaging app Signal earlier this month. In the chat, Hegseth detailed the plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen shortly before the strikes took place, and other top officials weighed in, according to Goldberg.
The Atlantic said it did not publish all of the messages because some of the details were too sensitive.
The National Security Council acknowledged in a statement to CBS News that the group chat Goldberg reported „appears to be authentic.“
„At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain“, a National Security Council spokesman said.
