President Donald Trump said a staffer from national security advisor Mike Waltz's office accidentally added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat. The chat included senior Trump officials planning a strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there,” Trump told NBC during a phone interview. He was asked how Goldberg got added to the sensitive group.
Trump said Goldberg's presence “had no impact at all” on the planned Yemen strike.
Goldberg wrote on Monday about being added to the group chat. It happened on March 11. The chat was called “Houthi PC Small Group.”
It included high-level officials like Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.
The group used Signal, a secure messaging app. It works like texting or calling, but with extra privacy protections.
Group members reportedly talked about striking the Houthis. They discussed timing and strategy.
The Houthis are backed by Iran and considered a terrorist group. The conversation happened just before a planned U.S. action in Yemen.