Signal chat journalist’s version | Wonders if sensitive war plans should be discussed on such a platform

Agencies WASHINGTON

The Signal chat incident, involving The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, exposed a disturbing level of casualness among high-ranking US officials regarding sensitive information. President Trump's response was characteristically aggressive, labeling Goldberg a "loser" and a "sleazebag." National Security Advisor Michael Waltz escalated the rhetoric, branding him "scum”.   

In an interview with the BBC, Goldberg detailed how  he  got a message on his phone to join, via the publicly available Signal messaging app, by an account under Waltz's name. He assumed  it was a  hoax. But he found his unexpected inclusion in the chat, where officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard discussed operational details of a Yemen military operation.

"I wish there was a Le Carré quality here," Goldberg remarked, "But he asked me to talk. I said yes. And next thing I know, I'm in this very strange chat group with the national security leadership of the United States."   Waltz attributed the inclusion to a mistake, claiming he meant to add someone else. Waltz denied ever meeting the editor. Goldberg countered, asserting they had met multiple times.

He also ridiculed Waltz's attempt to enlist Elon Musk's help in investigating the error, stating, "Really, you're going to put Elon Musk onto the question of how somebody's phone number ends up in someone's phone? I mean you know, most 8-year-olds could figure it out."  The core issue, as Goldberg pointed out, was the officials' use of Signal for such sensitive communications: "Should you, as national security officials, be doing this on Signal on your phone?" After Trump and other officials downplayed the information shared, Goldberg released the full text messages, including Hegseth's operational details.