Washington was shaken by a truly extraordinary story on Monday.
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg spoke about how he was added to a group chat featuring some of the most senior members of the US government.
More dramatically, the purpose of the messaging app signal chat was to discuss the US attack on Yemen's Houthi target earlier this month.
Goldberg said through text that he knew the details of the attack about two hours before it took place on March 15th.
Goldberg did not publish details of that element of the chat. However, he states the following about Hegses' message: “The information they contain could have been used to injure the US troops and intelligence agents, especially in the wider Middle East, if they had been read by US enemies.”
There are five big takeaways from the explosive story.
Yes, the chat is real – and odd
The entire episode Goldberg explains is odd and troubling in terms of people who take sensitive information seriously.
Goldberg wrote that a series of events began on March 11th, when an unsolicited signal invitation was received from someone named Michael Waltz. Trump's national security adviser is former Florida lawmaker Mike Waltz.
Goldberg was then added to the group chat about Yemen two days later. The group appears to include virtually everyone, except for the president himself, who is in the highest scope of defense and national security in the Trump administration.
Waltz, Vice President Vance, Hegses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent, Director of National Intelligence, Director of Tarsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe all appear to have been among the participants. Apparently, too, key figures in Trump's orbit, including White House Chief Susie Wills and key advisor Stephen Miller.
Goldberg also didn't seem to hide his presence from the rest of the chat. He wrote that he appeared in the chat as “JG” so that other participants also appeared to have been so identified, including “Mar.” [Marco Antonio Rubio] And then “SM” and Goldberg was Miller.
The situation was so unique that I wondered if Goldberg himself was set up or if he was wandering into the hoax.
He wasn't.
When asked to comment from National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes, Goldberg replied, “This looks like a real message chain and we are reviewing how careless numbers have been added to the chain.”
Many “what if” questions
Goldberg made no public disclosures while the military operation was underway.
But what if such sensitivity messages include less cautious people?
Editor-in-Chief Atlantic wrote, among other things, Hegseth's message “contains operational details of upcoming strikes in Yemen, including information on targets, weapons deployed by the US, and attack sequences.”
Such information would have been gold dust to the enemy. Similarly, you will be insightful about the people at the pinnacle of Washington's power talking to each other.
Next is the problem of using signals at all for such problems. And whether the law could have been broken in the process.
As Goldberg points out in his story, the use of signals to discuss military strikes “is likely violated some provisions of the Spy Act that governs the handling of 'Defense' information.”
Another but related question is Waltz's obvious behavior in setting up a portion of the message in violation of self-deletion regarding official record retention.
In some way, it's confusion.
Revelation: The difference between tensions with Europe and Vance with Trump
Essentially, the text published by Goldberg is worth noting for how Vance's anxiety appears in some elements of Trump's approach, and for how the Trump group's general disgust is seen as an irrational dependence on the US in Europe.
The day before the strike, the account labelled “JD Vance” said he was “outing out during the day we had an economic event in Michigan, and I think we're making a mistake.” As Goldberg points out, the Vice President was in Michigan on the day of question.
Vance pointed out that far more European trade will pass the Suez Canal than American trade. He implicitly suggested that the interests in protecting the canals and the locations where the Red Sea and Houchys led to numerous attacks were far higher in European countries than in the United States.
My Vance account went as follows: “I don't know how inconsistent this is with his message in Europe right now” – clearly a reference to Trump's often repeated claim that Europe needs to be held responsible to protect its interests.
Vance added: “I support the team's consensus and am willing to maintain these concerns to myself.”
In a separate message soon, Vance told Hegses, “If you think we should do it, go. I just hate bailing Europe again.”
Plus, the account that looks like Heggs is saying, “VP: It fully shares the disgust of European freeload. It's pathetic. But Mike [Waltz] Right, we are the only person on earth (our side of the ledger) who can do this. ”
As Goldberg was preparing the story for publication, a Vance spokesman told him there was no sunlight between the president and the vice president.
“Vice President Vance is a clear supporter of this administration's foreign policy,” William Martin told Goldberg. “The President and Vice President have had subsequent conversations on this issue and we have fully agreed.”
Democrats expressed anger, and Republicans left a red face
Democrats who often accused Trump of lacking basic capabilities seized the story.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz (D) and former vice president Kamala Harris running buddies last November wrote on social media that Heggs “texts out war plans like an invitation to the FRAT party.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the episode “incredibly illegal and dangerous.” She added, “Our national security is in the hands of a complete amateur.”
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) accused him of being “severe enough to kill Americans.”
The revelation seemed deeply embarrassing to the GOP.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) admitted that inclusion of journalists in such sensitive issues “sounds like a huge screw-in.”
Senate majority leader John Tune (Rs.D.) told reporters on Monday afternoon:
Trump himself advocated ignorance.
Asked about it from a reporter on Monday afternoon, he replied, “I know nothing about it. I'm not a huge Atlantic fan… You're telling me about it for the first time.”
Trump claims he is still confident in the waltz
If they did what the Waltz did, it's hard to imagine that higher national security officers from the more general administration are still at work.
However, the Trump White House was unparalleled, and the president quickly issued a statement of support.
White House press chief Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump “has the greatest confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz.”
It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to subdue the storm.
