The Atlantic Releases Entire Signal Chat Showing Hegseth's Detailed Attack Plans
Exclusive: Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.
The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen's Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne.
The disclosure follows two intense days during which leaders of President Donald Trump's intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, second from right, walks outside the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, March 21, in Washington. Top military official was not included in the chat
The chat was also notable for who it excluded: the only military attendee of the principals committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Adm. Christopher Grady is currently serving in that position in an acting capacity because Trump fired former chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. in February.
National security adviser Mike Waltz was authorized to decide whether to include the Joint Chiefs chairman in the principals committee discussion, "based on the policy relevance of attendees to the issues being considered, the need for secrecy on sensitive matters, staffing needs, and other considerations," the White House said in a Jan. 20 memo.
The Pentagon said it would not comment on the issue, and it was not immediately clear why Grady, currently serving as the president's top military adviser, would be excluded from the chat.
Leavitt is one of three Trump administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First and Fifth Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose.
The Signal Attack Plan Messages: What We Do (and Don't) Know
The revelation that national security officials posted military attack plans to a chat group that included a journalist has raised many questions about the use of secure messaging apps in government and the handling of sensitive information.
In this exclusive report, we take a closer look at the Signal chat and what it reveals about the inner workings of President Trump's administration.
What We Know
We know that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted war plans to a group chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and other senior officials.
We also know that the chat was not encrypted or secure in the way that it should have been, given its sensitivity.
What We Don't Know
We don't know exactly what was said in the Signal chat, as the full contents of the conversation were released by The Atlantic.
We also don't know how this information got out, or who may have accessed it without permission.
Furthermore, we don't know whether any laws were broken in posting sensitive information to a secure messaging app.
Implications
The release of the Signal chat raises serious questions about the handling of sensitive information by the Trump administration.
It also highlights the risks associated with using secure messaging apps, and the need for greater transparency and accountability in government communications.
Canadian Prime Minister Carney Calls Trump's Auto Tariffs a 'Direct Attack' on His Country
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office released a statement Saturday expressing concern about President Trump's auto tariffs imposed earlier this week.
"Canada is deeply disappointed in the decision by the United States to impose these tariffs, which are a direct attack on Canadian industry and workers," said Trudeau's spokesperson.