White House reels after shock leak of top secret war plans as Hegseth blasts ‘deceitful’ journalist and Trump blindsided
THE White House is in damage control mode after a stunning leak of top secret war plans — mistakenly shared with a journalist on a group chat — sent shockwaves through Washington.
The bombshell blunder came to light after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was accidentally added to a Signal group chat with top Trump officials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, were some of the reported chat members who discussed plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen.
Defense Secretary Hegseth furiously denied the claims Monday, insisting: “Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.”
He ripped into Goldberg, calling him a “deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist” and accused him of “peddling hoaxes time and time again,” citing past reports on Trump’s alleged Russia ties and disputed remarks about fallen U.S. soldiers.
Goldberg fired back on MSNBC, saying Hegseth’s denial was “a lie” and that the messages he received contained “precise details” of the March 15 strikes — including specific targets, sequencing of the operation, and what weapons would be deployed.
“It was a minute-by-minute accounting of what was about to happen, organized by CENTCOM,” he said.
The White House National Security Council confirmed the messages “appear to be authentic” and announced a review into how Goldberg’s number was added to the group.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes described the thread as “a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials,” but failed to address why they were using Signal — an app available to the public — to discuss sensitive military operations.
President Trump, meanwhile, claimed total ignorance when asked about the leak.
He 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.”
According to Goldberg, the leak began on March 11, when he spoke with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Signal and was later added to a chat named “Houthi PC small group.”
The editor believes he was mistaken for Jamieson Greer, a former U.S. Trade Representative, due to their shared initials “JG.”
Over the following days, Goldberg received messages from senior Trump officials during the strikes.
One message from Waltz referenced “tasking per the President’s guidance” in classified inboxes.
JD Vance raised concerns, writing: “There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary.”
Hegseth responded: “I understand your concerns,” before pushing ahead with the argument to strike.
Security expert: Trump leak was “tragic and comedic”
by Juliana Cruz Lima
TOP security specialist Will Geddes has branded the Trump administration’s Signal chat leak a “tragic and comedic” failure that could have endangered lives and shaken global trust in the US.
Geddes slammed the use of Signal – an open-source encrypted app – for discussing classified military plans, saying it showed a staggering lapse in judgment.
He told The Sun: “What is quite astounding in this particular instance is the levels of individuals of seniority in Donald Trump’s administration who all got involved… and didn’t question who else was in that group.”
Geddes said the decision to use Signal pointed to a culture of convenience rather than security.
“With heightened levels of security comes heightened levels of inconvenience,” he explained.
“More often than not, whenever there is some kind of leak or breach, this will be down to people taking shortcuts, it will be down to convenience, and it will come down to inherent laziness.”
“Why they would have used Signal would have been because it would have been simple to use. They all had it. They probably regularly used it… and you become slightly more numb to [sensitive information].”
Geddes warned the leak could have serious consequences for ongoing operations and diplomatic relationships, particularly after officials in the chat called European allies “freeloaders.”
“The rhetoric is not gonna make many allies feel particularly comforted,” the expert said.
He also placed responsibility on National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was apparently the one who accidentally added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat.
Geddes also criticised Trump’s dismissive response, saying: “This is not a matter that should be treated lightly… especially by the enemies.”
After the attacks, messages praised the operation as an “amazing job” and congratulated Hegseth for the “good start.”
The incident has rocked the Trump administration, with Waltz reportedly at risk of losing his job.
“It was reckless not to check who was on the thread,” a senior official told Politico.
“You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”
Despite the uproar, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.”
Democratic senator Ruben Gallego slammed the fiasco as “Amateur hour,” while experts and lawmakers demand answers on how such a colossal breach of national security happened — and why war plans were being discussed in a group chat in the first place.