ISLAMABAD: Washington DC was rocked Monday by a truly extraordinary story.
BBC News reported that it is the story of how a journalist – the Atlantic magazine’s Jeffrey Goldberg – was added to a Signal platform messaging group which apparently included US Vice-President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in addition to National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
The Hill reported that even more dramatically, the purpose of the chat, on the messaging app Signal, was to discuss a then-imminent US strike on Houthi targets in Yemen earlier this month.
Goldberg stated that, through the texts, he had known specifics about the strikes about two hours before they took place on March 15. Goldberg wrote that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth sent detailed plans to everyone on the chat.
Goldberg did not publish the specifics of that element of the chat, the newspaper reported.
Here are five big takeaways from the explosive story.
The chat is real
The entire episode that Goldberg describes is bizarre — and troubling from the point of view of those who would take the handling of sensitive information seriously, The Hill reported.
The American newspaper said that Goldberg wrote that the chain of events began March 11, when he got an unsolicited Signal invite from someone named Michael Waltz. Trump’s national security adviser is Mike Waltz, a former Florida congressman.
Goldberg was added to the group chat about Yemen two days later. The group appears to have included virtually everyone at the highest reaches of defense and national security in the Trump administration, except the president himself, the newspaper said.
When Goldberg asked Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, for comment, he responded, “This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”
Vance’s differences with Trump and tensions with Europe
Substantively, the texts published by Goldberg are remarkable because of how they show Vance’s unease with some elements of Trump’s approach, and the group’s general distaste for what they see as Europe’s lackadaisical reliance on the U.S, according to The Hill.
BBC reported that on the military action, Goldberg reported that the account named JD Vance wrote: “I think we are making a mistake.”
He said targeting Houthi forces that are attacking vessels in the Suez Canal serves European interests more than the US, because Europe has more trade running through the canal.
The Vance account went on: “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now” — apparently a reference to Trump’s often-repeated insistence that Europe needs to take responsibility for protecting its own interests, with military force if necessary, according to The Hill.
After the strike: Emojis
Goldberg reported that the US national security chief posted three emojis after the strike: “a fist, an American flag, and fire”.
The Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, responded with five emojis, Goldberg said: “two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles voiced messages of support, he added.
Trump contends he still has confidence in Waltz
But the Trump White House is like no other, and the president swiftly released a statement of support. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.”
Blame Biden
BBC reported that to Vance’s concerns that the action may be seen as going against Trump’s message on Europe, the US defence secretary wrote: “VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS [Trump]. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc).
The Trump administration has consistently blamed Joe Biden for being too lenient with Iran.
