A report published by The Atlantic magazine has revealed that senior members of US President Donald Trump’s administration accidentally shared sensitive military operational plans, potentially classified as “top secret,” via a non-government encrypted messaging app.
According to the report, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz conducted a group conversation via Signal with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss carrying out military strikes against Huthi militias in Yemen.
An accidental leak
But due to an unexpected error, Waltz added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the group, enabling him to follow the details of the discussions about the timing of the military attack.
Although the strikes proceeded as planned, Goldberg remained in the group until the discussion ended and left the conversation himself after witnessing senior officials congratulating each other on the success of the operation.
The revelation of these conversations sparked outrage angry reactions among US government officials, both within the Trump administration and among former national security officials.
Several officials who spoke to CNN expressed shock at at the incident.
One former senior intelligence official said, “They violated every known rule and procedure for protecting military information before carrying out the strike. This is a complete breakdown of military operational security.”
Another official simply responded, “No, there is no precedent for this kind of use of a messaging app in the US administration.”
Authenticity of the leaked messages
The Trump administration confirmed the authenticity of the leaked messages, but offered no explanation for why sensitive defense information was being discussed outside of classified government systems.
Senior officials immediately rushed to review the use of Signal amid concerns that it was overly reliant on sensitive government business, posing a potential threat to US national security.
Signal, known for its strong encryption, is widely used by journalists and government officials around the world.
Following the incident however, concerns have been raised about the possibility of it being hijacked by foreign actors, especially given reports that Russian government-linked hackers have previously attempted to compromise Ukrainian military accounts on the app by posing as trusted sources.
Despite the fallout from the leak, President Donald Trump has given no indication of any intention to fire any of the officials involved.
Trump says The Atlantic on the verge of ‘bankruptcy’
When asked about the matter, Trump seemed unconcerned, saying, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a fan of The Atlantic. To me, it’s on the verge of bankruptcy. I don’t think it’s a very important magazine. But I don’t know anything about this leak.”
An administration official confirmed that “everyone uses Signal all day and night,” – a matter that could soon change after this security scandal.
