The conversation among the defense secretary and other members of national security officials on a commercial messaging app by mistake included the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Confirmation from white house regarding Hegseth disclosing:
The White House confirmed on Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed war plans in an encrypted group chat, which included a journalist, two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks against the Houthi militia in Yemen.
This confirmation aligns with an account published in The Atlantic magazine. Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, reported in a Monday article that he was inadvertently added to the Signal messaging group by Michael Waltz, the national security adviser. This incident represents a significant breach of U.S. national security intelligence. The journalist’s unintended inclusion, coupled with the conversation’s occurrence outside secure government communication channels, highlights the severity of the lapse. Goldberg’s report indicated he observed the conversation among senior members of President Trump’s national security team during the two days preceding the Yemen strikes. The participants included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio
At 11:44 a.m. on March 15, information detailing forthcoming strikes on Yemen was posted, including specifics about targets, the weapons the U.S. intended to deploy, and the sequence of the attacks. This information, according to reports, could have potentially been exploited by an adversary of the United States to endanger American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, had it been accessed.
In an interview, it was stated that prior to this Saturday posting, the communications had mainly concerned procedural and policy matters. The shift to outlining war plans was described as deeply concerning. The specific details of these war plans were not disclosed in the subsequent reporting.
The posting reportedly indicated that the initial explosions in Yemen were anticipated to occur two hours later, at 1:45 p.m. Eastern time. Following this, the reporter waited in their car in a supermarket parking lot. The reasoning was that if the Signal chat was genuine, Houthi targets would soon be under attack.
At approximately 1:55 p.m., initial airstrikes did occur, hitting buildings in neighborhoods in and around Sana, Yemen’s capital, areas known to be Houthi leadership strongholds, according to statements from Pentagon officials and local residents. These strikes continued throughout that Saturday and into the following days. It was also reported that assurances were given to the group, which included the journalist, that measures had been taken to maintain the secrecy of the information.
Now, I would be happy to provide you with feedback on this rewritten version. Please let me know if you have any specific areas you’d like me to focus on, or if you’d like me to proceed with a full editorial review as outlined earlier.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said that the “story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”
Military operations demand the highest level of discretion and precision, utilizing approved secure communication channels due to the potential risk to American lives. Republican senators encountered numerous inquiries regarding the matter. While many expressed concern, the majority stated they would reserve judgment until a comprehensive briefing was provided. Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, acknowledged that mistakes seemingly occurred and affirmed the committee’s commitment to uncovering the truth and taking appropriate measures.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, announced on CNN that his committee would send an inquiry to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to assess the necessity of a more extensive investigation. However, Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, dismissed the need for further investigations or disciplinary actions for the involved officials. Mr. Johnson informed reporters at the Capitol that he was told White House officials were conducting an investigation into how the figure in question was included and that this should suffice, suggesting that the matter did not warrant significant additional attention.
Also checkout :https://usanewsstreetjournal.com/heathrowairportfire/