US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein / AP
The journalist couldn't believe his eyes.
Suddenly he was part of a secret war chat with Trump's closest men.
In the chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared attack plans against the Houthi rebels.
In a secret group chat on the Signal app, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is suspected of having shared his war plans with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, writes Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic.
He knows this because he was invited to the chat completely by chance.
Two hours before the bombing of the Houthi rebels in Yemen began, Goldberg was able to read the Pentagon's detailed plans for targets, order of attack, and weapons they would use against their enemy, because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared them there.
"On Tuesday, March 11, I received a friend request on Signal from a user who identified himself as Michael Waltz. However, I did not believe the request was from the real Michael Waltz," Goldberg writes.
The US attacked the Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital, Saana, in mid-March.
1 / 2Photo: AP
Top Hens
The person Goldberg is referring to is Donald Trump's national security adviser, who has a hand in all military conflicts in which the US is involved.
Two days later, Goldberg received an invitation to the "Houthi PC small group" on Signal, where the communication implied that only the country's top decision-makers were included.
A total of 18 people are said to have been part of the group, including Trump's peace envoy Steve Witkoff.
"I will do everything to maintain 100% operational secrecy," Goldberg can read that Hegseth writes in the chat.
Goldberg was not impressed by his promise.
"Shocking carelessness" of sensitive information, Goldberg writes about his experience.
He describes in detail, among other things, how JD Vance criticizes Trump and writes that the attack on the Houthi rebels goes against Trump's previous policy, since only three percent of US trade goes through the Suez Canal.
A fighter jet takes off from a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
1 / 2Photo: Seaman Aaron Haro Gonzalez / AP
Contempt for Europe
Vance has not previously openly questioned any of Trump's decisions.
In the chat, the vice president also continues to demonstrate his hostility towards Europe.
“If you think we should go, go. I just hate to bail out Europe again,” writes the signature JD Vance in the group.
Hegseth agrees with Vance’s sentiment.
“I completely share your disdain for Europe’s free-riding. It’s pathetic.” , he writes.
On March 15, the signature Hegseth writes about the attack plans in Yemen, which Goldberg chooses not to share in detail.
The only one who responds is the signature JD Vance.
“I will pray for victory,” he writes.
Two other participants react with prayer emojis.
Two hours later, bombs start falling over Yemen, and Goldberg realizes that the group chat was authentic.
The White House confirms the incident, according to AFP.
– We are investigating how an accidental number was added to the chain, says a spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
.................................................
American journalist accidentally received war plans
TT
Updated 23.12 | Published 19.03
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has recently begun work to access leaks of sensitive information. Archive photo. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT
American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg accidentally learned of the US military's plans to attack targets in Yemen, reports The Atlantic, where Goldberg is editor-in-chief.
Democrats want to see a "full investigation" of the incident.
Goldberg writes in an article that US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz added him to a group chat on the encrypted messaging service Signal. There, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have sent text messages to the group on the morning of March 15 with the attack plans against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen. About two hours later, the plans were put into action.
The White House confirms the incident.
– We are reviewing how a number was inadvertently added to the chain, says Brian Hughes, spokesman for the US National Security Council.
Trump unaware
President Donald Trump, however, says he is completely unaware of the security leak.
– I know nothing about it, he says at a press conference after receiving a question from a reporter two and a half hours after the news began to spread on Monday evening, Swedish time.
– This is the first I have heard about it.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later stated that Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence” in his security advisers, including Waltz.
Democrat Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, is demanding an investigation into what happened.
– This is one of the most astonishing leaks of military intelligence that I have read about in a very, very long time. This debacle requires a full investigation, he says in the Senate.
The Senate Majority Leader, Republican John Thune, is also reacting.
– Of course we have to get to the bottom of this, he says.
The text messages that Jeffrey Goldberg saw included information about targets, time and what types of weapons the US intended to use.
Didn't want to "save Europe"
The day before the Yemen attack, on March 14, Goldberg was also able to read messages from someone who identified himself as Vice President JD Vance. He was hesitant about the attacks because he didn't want to "save Europe again", as European countries are considered to be more affected than the US by the Houthi movement's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Both Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth responded by saying that only Washington has the capacity to carry out such an attack, while Hegseth emphasized that he shared Vance’s “disgust for European free riding.”
It is unclear whether the information about the military operation was classified, but it usually is.
The news comes at a time when Hegseth’s Department of Defense has just begun work to access leaks of sensitive information to, for example, the media.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar