In a passionate response to recent accusations from the left-leaning publication The Atlantic, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has categorically dismissed claims that he and other leading figures from the Trump administration mistakenly shared classified military strategies through a group chat.
According to reporting from , Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic with a well-documented anti-Trump stance, concocted a sensational narrative claiming he was âaccidentallyâ added to a secure Signal group chat that included high-profile Trump officials.
This alleged chat supposedly contained sensitive information regarding military operations against the Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen. Goldberg suggests that notable figures such as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance were part of what he termed a âHouthi PC small group,â scheming a long-overdue response against the Houthis.
Letâs not mince wordsâGoldberg’s history is littered with dubious anti-Trump narratives, from the discredited âsuckers and losersâ story to his persistent Russia collusion theories. Now, heâs spinning a yarn of inadvertently stumbling into a digital command center, claiming the saga began with a Signal connection request from Mike Waltz on March 11.
Goldberg alleges that Waltz extended an invitation to join the chat on March 13, mere days before U.S. military strikes commenced against Houthi targets.
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Editor-in-Chief of Trump-Hating The Atlantic Claims He Was âAccidentallyâ Added to Signal Group Chat with JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and Mike Waltz as They Allegedly Discuss Strikes in Yemen â Whatâs Going on Here?
When questioned about the incident, former President Donald Trump claimed ignorance. “I donât know anything about it. Iâm not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, itâs a magazine thatâs going out of business. I think itâs not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it,” Trump stated. He added, “The Houthis? You mean the attack on the Houthis? Well, it couldnât have been very effective because the attack was very effective, I can tell you that. I donât know anything about it. Youâre telling me about it for the first time.”
After arriving at a military base in Pearl Harbor, Secretary Hegseth confronted these allegations directly.
Hegseth ridiculed Goldbergâs account as pure fiction, labeling him a âdeceitful and highly discredited so-called journalistâ whose career is built on disseminating hoaxes.
Reporter:
Your information about war plans against the Houthis in Yemen was shared with a journalist in The Atlantic. Were those details classified?Sec. Hegseth:
Youâre talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist whoâs made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again, including the hoaxes of Russia, Russia, Russia, the “fine people on both sides” hoax, and the “Suckers and Losers” hoax. This is the guy that peddles in garbage. This is what he does.I would love to comment on the Houthi campaign because of the skill and courage of our troops. Iâve monitored it very closely from the beginning. Weâve been managing four years of deferred maintenance under the Trump administration.
Our troops and sailors were getting shot at as targets. Our ships couldnât sail through. And when they did shoot back, it was purely defensively or at shacks in Yemen.
President Trump said, “No more. We will reestablish deterrence, open freedom of navigation, and ultimately decimate the Houthis,” which is exactly what weâre doing as we speak from the beginning, overwhelmingly.
Reporter:
Why were those details shared on Signal? And how did you learn that a journalist was privy to the targets, the types of weapons used, and the timing?Sec. Hegseth:
Iâve heard that was characterized. Nobody was texting war plans, and thatâs all I have to say about that. Alright, I appreciate it. Thatâs it.
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