The Atlantic, a prominent liberal news outlet, has revised a controversial report after claiming that senior Trump administration officials shared “war plans” in an unsecured group chat. The initial story, which caused a political stir in the nation’s capital, has now been modified amid backlash from the White House and conservative commentators.
The controversy began when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat that included Vice President J.D. Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and other high-ranking officials. The chat reportedly involved discussions about the impending U.S. airstrikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
In his original report, Goldberg alleged that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared “war plans” hours before the operation, a phrase that was prominently featured in the article’s headline. However, the White House pushed back against this characterization. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Goldberg of adding “sensationalist spin” to the story, prompting The Atlantic to change the headline. It now reads: “Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisors Shared on Signal.”
Despite the retraction, questions remain about how Goldberg was added to the encrypted chat, which is widely used by journalists and officials seeking secure communication. Security experts have raised concerns about the potential lapse, though the Biden administration had previously recommended Signal for officials at high risk of foreign surveillance, according to Fox News.
As the debate continues, the incident has reignited scrutiny over media credibility, government transparency, and the risks of digital communication among high-level officials. According to Trending Politics, Donald Trump had something to say about the scandal as well:
President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the significance of the leak, saying it had “no impact at all” on the Yemen campaign and that The Atlantic is “not much of a magazine.” He expressed his full support for Waltz, saying he “learned a lesson” from the oversight.
