Trump national security advisor accidentally adds journalist to Signal group chat discussing secret Yemen strike plans

Michael Waltz, U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal messenger group chat in which attacks on the Yemeni Shiite movement Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, were being discussed — including targets, timing, and the weapons to be used. Goldberg, who is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed the incident in an article for the magazine.

According to Goldberg, he received a Signal message request from a user named “Michael Waltz” on March 11. He considered the possibility that this might be an impersonator — but nevertheless accepted the connection request. Two days later, he was added to a group chat with the title “Houthi PC small group.”

A message to the group from “Michael Waltz” read:

“Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”

Members in the chat using the names of senior U.S. officials — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others — began assigning representatives from within their respective teams.

Over the following days, the group saw a steady stream of instructions from Waltz and discussions regarding strikes on Houthi positions. According to Goldberg, a user named J.D. Vance appeared to criticize Trump’s decision, suggesting that U.S. allies be notified first and that the economic consequences be assessed. He also mentioned an upcoming trip to Michigan — which aligned with the real Vance’s schedule. In response, an account under the name of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back, warning that any delay risked leaks and might prompt Israel to “take action” against the Houthis first.

Some of the information shared in the chat was so sensitive that Goldberg chose not to publish it — including the operational details of the planned strikes. After the attacks were carried out successfully and on schedule, the chat reacted emotionally. Waltz, for example, responded with emojis of the U.S. flag, a flame, and a clenched fist.

At that point, Goldberg became convinced that the group was “almost certainly real” and that its members were who they appeared to be — after which he left the chat. He later emailed all of the participants individually, asking why he had been added and whether using a public messaging app for discussing such sensitive matters posed a national security risk.

Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the National Security Council, replied that he would investigate how the journalist ended up in the group, but saw no danger in the incident.

“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes wrote. “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.”

In mid-March, U.S. armed forces launched a large-scale operation against the Houthis on orders from President Donald Trump. According to Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health, 53 people were killed and close to 100 were wounded in the bombings. The strikes targeted military facilities in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz and the capital Sana’a. An electricity plant in the city of Dahyan was also hit, leaving the area without power. Dahyan is believed to host the headquarters of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

Trump had named the protection of American and allied vessels, and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, as the primary goals of the operation. Within 24 hours, the Houthis reported two separate attacks on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. In response, Trump accused Iran of supporting the Houthis and warned of “dire consequences” for any attacks on the United States.