Trump says Atlantic editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to top secret Signal chat by Mike Waltz staffer

Following a Monday report from The Atlantic in which Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg said that he had been added to a Signal group chat by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz alongside other high-level Trump administration officials, in which they discussed forthcoming strikes on Yemen's Houthis, President Donald Trump has said that he stands by Waltz.

Speaking with NBC News over the phone Tuesday, Trump said, "Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man." He said that Goldberg's presence in the chat had "no impact at all" on the operation against the Houthis, and said when asked how Goldberg ended up in the chat alongside other top-level officials, "It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there." Trump called the events "the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one."

Speaking with reporters on Monday afternoon, Trump said at the time that he didn't "know anything about" the report from Goldberg.

In response to a reporter's question on the matter, Trump replied, "I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of The Atlantic, to me it's a magazine that's going out of business. I think it's not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it. You're saying that they had what?" The reporter recounted the article, to which Trump replied, "well, it couldn't have been very effective because the attack was very effective, I can tell you that. I don't know anything about it. You're telling me about it for the first time."

On Tuesday morning, Leavitt said that Goldberg was "well-known for his sensationalist spin."

"Here are the facts about his latest story: 1. No 'war plans' were discussed. 2. No classified material was sent to the thread. 3. The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible," Leavitt continued.

"As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread," she added. "Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump."

When asked about the report in The Atlantic on Monday, Hegseth told reporters in Hawaii, “Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.”

Hegseth criticized Goldberg, saying, “You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again,” and denied that “war plans” were being discussed in the chat. 

Goldberg wrote in the article that he was accidentally included in a group text on the encrypted Signal app with Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and other Trump administration officials in which details about airstrikes against Houthi terrorists were discussed. 

Goldberg claims he was invited to join a Signal chain called the “Houthi PC small group” two days after receiving a connection request from a user identified as Michael Waltz on the app. 
 

Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said in response to the report, "This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain. The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.” Trump confirmed that is his Tuesday remarks.