President Donald Trump has confirmed that a staffer from the office of National Security Adviser Michael Waltz is responsible for accidentally adding Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat in which the Vice President and Defense Secretary discussed strikes on Houthi rebels.
At a glance:
• A staffer from National Security Adviser Michael Waltz’s office accidentally added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat discussing potential Yemen airstrikes
• Top intelligence officials Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe denied sharing classified information during Senate Intelligence Committee hearing
• Democrats have demanded resignations while Republicans downplay the severity of the incident
• President Trump defended his team and suggested it was a minor staff error
• The White House maintains no classified information was compromised despite media reports suggesting otherwise
Trump Officials Face Scrutiny Over Security Breach
Senior Trump administration officials found themselves in the hot seat Tuesday during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing investigating how a liberal journalist accidentally gained access to sensitive military discussions. The controversy erupted after Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where officials were discussing details of a planned military strike in Yemen. And now, President Donald Trump has confirmed that the person responsible was, in fact, a staffer.
Two top intelligence officials, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, firmly denied sharing any classified information in the encrypted group chat. The White House has maintained that while the incident was unfortunate, national security was never compromised by the administrative error.
Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) described the incident as “sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior” during the hearing, while other Democrats echoed similar sentiments. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) called it “a huge mistake” that warranted immediate accountability for those involved in the security lapse.
🚨🇺🇸 DEM REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES: THE SIGNAL LEAK SHOWS TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY PICKS ARE JEOPARDIZING AMERICA
“Who are some of these people that Donald Trump has put into the most sensitive national security positions in America?
I'm not talking about any particular… https://t.co/vnZJiqZZZS pic.twitter.com/5MpcSa0lng
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 24, 2025
White House Defends Response Amid Partisan Divide
President Trump has stood firmly behind National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, suggesting the error came from a junior staff member rather than senior leadership. When initially asked about the incident, Trump told reporters, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business.”
The White House Press Secretary has repeatedly insisted that no classified information was shared, despite media reports suggesting the chat contained sensitive details about military operations. Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the National Security Council, confirmed the authenticity of the message chain and said they were “reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged the mistake but ultimately defended the administration. “We dodged a bullet,” Graham said during Tuesday’s hearing, advocating for a bipartisan review of the incident rather than a political feeding frenzy.
Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell took a more aggressive stance on MSNBC, saying, “Pete Hegseth thinks that Pete Hegseth should be fired. If you listen to what he has said over the years on his weekend shows, he has called out people for instances of national security, that were not even close to what he did as far as his breach, for them to be gone.”
