National Security: US government accidentally invites journalist into a secret chat

A planned air strike in the Middle East, a group chat from the government and a journalist who reads everything – a explosive security breakdown causes excitement in the USA. The editor-in-chief of the US magazine “The Atlantic” was accidentally included in a secret group chat of the US government, in which apparently highly sensitive military plans were discussed.

A spokesman for the National Security Council, Brian Hughes, confirmed that the chat course was most likely authentic. He announced an internal exam.

In a article that has only been published now, “Atlantic” editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg describes in detail how he became the encrypted Messenger app Signal Signal Witness of a explosive entertainment in mid-March: In the group chat, apparently leading members of the government of US President Donald Trump discussed specific attack plans against the Huthi-Miliz supported by Iran in Yemen.

Security consultant sends an invitation

According to Goldberg, the first contact was on March 11: A signal user with the name of Trump’s national security consultant, Michael Waltz, sent him a contact request, writes the journalist. At first he was suspicious. He suspected that it was not really the government representative. In the hope of actually doing it with Waltz, he still accepted the request.

The invitation to the group chat said two days later. This gradually joined further users: some under real names, others with abbreviations that suggested to members of the US government.

Editor -in -chief initially doubts authenticity

At this point, Goldberg said that anything but convinced that it was a real government communication. The idea that the United States’s national security advisor would invite him to such a chat-the editor-in-chief of a US magazine-seemed absurd. “I had strong doubts about the authenticity of this group chat,” writes Goldberg. He was also unable to believe “that the leading safety ranks of the United States would communicate their upcoming war plans over Signal”.

He thought it was more possible that it could be a targeted deception of a foreign secret service. While Goldberg was still puzzling about the origin of the news, things on his cell phone screen developed: the members of the group began to speak openly about a planned military strike in Yemen.

In chat with Vance and Hegseth

In his article, Goldberg describes the exchange between those involved – with exact times, original quotations and partly informal tone. For example, Waltz Emojis used to signal consent and fighting spirit: a concentrated fist, a US flag and a flame symbol.

Among the group members were Vice President JD Vance, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio as well as other cabinet members and high -ranking government officials. Both military tactics and political communication around the planned blow against the Huthi were discussed.

Details shortly before attack

Particularly explosive: Two hours before the start of the attacks on March 15, Hegseth himself posted detailed information on destinations, weapons systems and the operation of the operation. Shortly afterwards, air strikes against Huthi positions in Yemen actually started. The US had recently classified the militia again as a foreign terrorist organization.

When the first explosions were reported, Goldberg was finally convinced that the entertainment was real – and yet not a fake. He left her a little later. According to his report, there were no questions about his presence.

The case raises a lot of questions. How can such a dramatic breakdown happen? How can it be that the top ranks of the government – in addition, the leadership team of national security – accidentally invites a journalist to an internal group chat? How can it be that nobody realizes that for days? But how does this management team come up with the idea of ​​discussing active military planning in this way?

There are usually strict regulations on how the government has to deal with confidential and strictly secret information that affects national security. This is all the more true when it comes to active plans for a military strike abroad. According to “Atlantic”, the Signal app is generally not permitted by the US government for the exchange of confidential information. And strict guidelines apply for information on concrete plans for military actions.

Worry about highly sensitive information

Have cabinet members made themselves even punishable through their approach? Trump himself has felt the strict requirements on the topic: he was persecuted and charged because he improperly kept secret government documents in his private estate after his first term – the procedure was later discontinued.

And what does the overall case say about dealing with highly sensitive information in the Trump government? In any case, the excitement is great, and some ridicule – also from abroad – should be safe from Trump’s team. The US President himself initially explained not to know anything about the matter. When asked about the report, the Republican replied that it was the first time that he heard about it – and he was “not a big fan” of the magazine.

The spokesman for the National Security Council, Hughes, tried to reinterpret the breakdown, and argued that the incident was “evidence of the intensive and well thought -out political coordination between high -ranking government officials”. It is rather unlikely that this reading will prevail.