More messages about the Trump administration’s plans in Yemen have been leaked after senior members of his team added a journalist to a group chat.
The national security team, which includes vice-president JD Vance, defence secretary Peter Hegseth and Marco Rubio, spoke in the chat about plans for airstrikes on Yemen.
Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser, began the chat on Signal – a commercial encrypted messaging app – and accidentally added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat.
The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed the major blunder earlier this week in an article titled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.
He admitted that he found out about the US’ plans to bomb the Houthis in Yemen two hours before they actually did: “Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defence, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 am.”
The chat, titled ‘Houthi PC Small Group’, included “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” Goldberg wrote.
“It should go without saying—but I’ll say it anyway—that I have never been invited to a White House principals-committee meeting, and that, in my many years of reporting on national-security matters, I had never heard of one being convened over a commercial messaging app,” he continued.
Signal is not a US government-approved way to communicate sensitive information.
Messages from the group chat include an account identified by Goldberg as JD Vance saying he ‘hates bailing Europe out again’.
This is in reference to Trump’s administration claiming the continent benefits from the US Navy’s protection of international shipping lanes.
Goldberg continues: “The user identified as Hegseth responded three minutes later: “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.
“Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”
Shipping lanes in the Red Sea are protected by the US alongside a force of more than 20 other countries, including the UK.
More texts have now been revealed, with The Atlantic publishing an article titled Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal.
They quote Hegseth as sharing operational details of the plans on strikes in Yemen, which took place on March 15.
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),” he text.
“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”.
The Pentagon chief then put:”1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”.
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets).”
“1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched,” he put, followed by: “MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”.
“We are currently clean on OPSEC” (operational security), he added. “Godspeed to our Warriors.”
Spokesman for the National Security Council Brian Hughes confirmed that the chain of messages shared by Goldberg earlier this week are authentic.
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.
“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”
Related: Fox News desperately try to defend Trump after journalist group chat blunder