A text chain containing top security advisors for the US Military was leaked by Jeffery Goldberg, a political journalist with The Atlantic. Goldberg is believed to have been accidentally added to the group by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, yet it is unclear how exactly this mistake happened. The message chain also included the following officials: Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House policy advisor Stephen Miller.
The messages were sent after a series of airstrikes in Yemen on March 15, killing 53 people. This included celebrations of the strikes “success”, with each member congratulating the work of others in the group. Many have accused this incident of violating the Espionage Act of 1917, which “makes it a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison to handle national security secrets with such gross negligence that it allows them to fall into the hands of an unauthorized person” (Politico). Therefore, texting military operation plans to an unauthorized journalist could prove worrisome for the Trump Administration. President Trump has already been charged with 31 violations under the Espionage Act, however they were dropped shortly after the 2024 election. As of this new information breach during his second term, President Trump claims that “there was no classified information, as I understand it.”
Senate Democrats have already criticised President Trump’s national security team, now calling for the resignation of his top advisors. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), a ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated on social media, “This administration is playing fast and loose with our nation’s most classified info, and it makes all Americans less safe” (BBC). House Republicans also voiced their opinions to the media. Don Bacon (R-NE), stated the negligence of the Trump Administration was “unconscionable”. Criticism also came from Goldberg himself, who stated in an interview with All Things Considered, “It was a chilling thing to realize that I’ve inadvertently discovered a massive security breach in the national security system of the United States”. Goldberg has made it clear he does not regret releasing this information, claiming it is important for the administration to recognize that negligence has consequences, and this mistake should have never happened.
As politicians continue to point fingers and accuse others, it is clear that this information breach was nothing short of devastating. Congress is expected to further investigate the situation heavily to determine the cause and possibly repercussions for those involved.
Resources
Chang, A. (2025, March 25). “Plain sloppiness”: Sen. Mark Warner says on Signal chat fiasco. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from NPR website: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/25/nx-s1-5340738/virginia-senator-interview-war-plans-signal-leak
Drenon, B. (2025, March 25). Trump and intelligence chiefs play down Signal group chat leak. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8vgr0p8n6o
Hutzler, A. (2025, March 25). Yemen strike plans in Signal group chat raises questions about Espionage Act. Here’s what to know. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from ABC News website: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/yemen-strike-plans-signal-group-chat-raises-questions/story?id=120131093
Zurcher, A. (2025, March 24). Trump national security team’s chat app leak a stunning failure. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyd9e5lkpro
