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LAST UPDATE | 26 Mar
THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE has published the entire text of a chat group among top US national security officials laying out plans of an imminent attack on Yemen that was mistakenly shared with a journalist.
Journalist and The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the group chat, titled “Houthi PC small group”, by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz.
“PC” refers to “Principals Committee”, a group of the highest-ranking national security officials – Goldberg said he has no idea how or why he was added to this group chat.
Waltz has admitted being responsible for Goldberg being added to the group chat.
The magazine, which initially only published the broad outlines of the chat, said it was now publishing the details after the Trump administration repeatedly denied that any classified information had been included.
The scandal has rocked President Donald Trump’s administration, which for now is reacting defiantly – attacking The Atlantic and denying any wrongdoing.
The White House launched a coordinated attack in which it slammed the magazine’s journalists as “scumbags” and dismissed the story as a “hoax.”
When informed that The Atlantic was considering publishing the entirety of the Signal chain, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to repeated claims that “there was no classified information transmitted in the group chat”.
However, Leavitt added that this “does not mean we encourage the release of the conversation”.
“This was intended to be an internal and private deliberation amongst high-level senior staff and sensitive information was discussed,” said Leavitt.
“So for those reasons – yes, we object to the release.”
However, The Atlantic released the group chat chain because of “assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts”.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes had said Monday the chain cited by The Atlantic appeared to be “authentic.”
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sent information in the Signal chat – also including Vice President JD Vance and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe – right ahead of strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen on 15 March.
For reasons unknown, Goldberg’s phone number had been added to the group.
Disparaging comments were made by the top US officials about European allies during their chat, with Vance writing: “I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Hegseth replied: “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Atlantic initially did not publish the precise details of the chat, saying it wanted to avoid revealing classified material and information that could endanger American troops.
For example, the chat contains the name of the CIA director’s chief of staff, and CIA intelligence officers are traditionally not publicly identified – while this name was redacted by The Atlantic, everything else it released today is unredacted.
Yesterday, CIA director Ratcliff and other officials involved in the chat played down the scandal, testifying before Congress that nothing critical had been shared or laws broken – and that nothing discussed was classified.
The Atlantic said its publication today included everything in the Signal chain other than that one CIA name.
It includes Hegseth laying out the weather conditions, times of attacks and types of aircraft being used.
The texting was done barely half an hour before the first US warplanes took off and two hours before the first target, described as “Target Terrorist,” was expected to be bombed.
The details are shockingly precise for the kind of operation that the public usually only learns about later – and in vague terms.
“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package),” Hegseth writes at one stage.
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets).”
A short time later, Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing “Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID” and “amazing job.”
Waltz also replied with a series of emojis, such as a fist emoji, an American-flag emoji, and a fire emoji.
Responding to the transcript released today by The Atlantic, Vance sought to dismiss it as “oversold”.
“It’s very clear (Jeffrey) Goldberg oversold what he had,” Vance posted on X, referring to the Atlantic editor-in-chief who was mistakenly included in the group chat of top Trump officials discussing military plans.
“No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS,” posted National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
The Houthi rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the US.
The Trump administration has stepped up attacks on the group in response to constant Houthi attempts to sink and disrupt shipping through the strategic Red Sea.
-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper
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Always questions questions questions, but never any answers!
@Colette Kearns: It’s a hospital, the chances of a virus being there is quite high. I think that answers the question
They’re bacteria?
@Timmy:
Eh, no, hospitals being places where bacteria are likely to be found does not answer why they cut the cleaning budget.
@Timmy: TIMMY!
@Timmy: I also think it answers the question, albeit in a superficial and practically inept fashion. The idea in the hospital is to not endanger the patients (or staff) any further. That specifically includes maintaining the highest of hygiene standards, the hospital failed to do that and cutting the cleaning regime was obviously a factor in that.
@Jon Snow: Livin’ a lie, TIMMY!
Of all the things to be cut in a hospital, hygiene!!! I’m not a doctor, but is cleanliness not vitally important in a hospital of all places??
Never happened when the nuns were in charge, the hospitals were always spick and span.
Cutting costs on cleaning and putting people’s lives in danger. Like why not just reduce the boards massive wage bill instead.
@Darren Cooney: you will probably find the Board are all unpaid volunteers.
Lowest bid cleaning contractors???? Hospitals need qualified in-house cleaning staff 24.7
The answer lies in the fact that there’s an antibiotic culture in this country.
@Darren Bates: No… it doesn’t. In the case of these superbugs it’s more to do with an antibiotic problem… in India.
“Questions need to be asked”
The favourite go to line of many a politician, knowing only too well it’ll all be forgotten and buried in a few days/weeks.
Ridiculous to cut the budget. But very misleading article- cleaning or lack there of does not contribute to carbarpenem resistance, the use of that antibiotic does.
The day of drug resistant staph and enterococcus is fast approaching.
@George Beckett: to be infected by the bacterium requires the bacterium to be presence.
The probability of the presence of the bacterium is increased by reduction in cleaning.
Prevention of infection is better than cure, especially in the case of antibiotuc resistance fir the bacterium.
@George Beckett: Eh… the day is here? It’s called MRSA and CRE or VRE. Nobody is disputing how resistance evoloution happens they’re disputing that proper measures aren’t taken to try and prevent the acquisition of these bugs.
@George Beckett:
Yes but it can be controlled by correct aseptic methodology which include cleaning regimes which is lacking in this case
No accountability,no consequences.
“Penny wise, Pound foolish” the mantra of government.
“Penny wise, Pound foolish” the mantra of government.
It’s been widely reported in the past that this hospital has had issues with bullying and it’s ‘management style’, particularly in it’s Emergency Department, resulting in consultants there becoming whistleblowers. I’ve heard whispers that little has changed, the hospital management hire highly qualified staff to help enact changes. But these are consequently bullied and unable to do their job – a job which had been earmarked for another member of staff belonging to a clique within the hospital. Unwilling to admit they have a problem with bullying, the management then become a reluctant party to it.
The lunatics are running this particular asylum, and have been for quite some time, so it should be no surprise when some questionable decisions are made, but just how much latitude are they going to be given before an adult steps in and takes control is the real question. This isn’t the first time patients lives have been put in danger, or even lost in Tallaght Hospital, particularly in it’s Emergency Department, the issues aren’t being resolved and appear to be getting worse.
It would help tallaght hospital if they got half decent cleaners to clean wards/toilets/main hospital areas. Place is filthy
Why not get prisoners to clean then hospitals at 4am. Problem solved.
Get the nuns in with the Dosco brushes n Dettol
Who I mean who, decided a hospital (any hospital) only needed to be cleaned 6 out of 7 days?
Find the person and let him go….
have your say