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Earlier this week, a journalist claimed he was added to a Signal group chat where Trump administration officials discussed plans for striking Yemen. What actually happened, and how has the Trump administration responded?
From The Epoch Times. President Donald Trump’s top national security officials are facing questions this week after a journalist reported that he was added to an encrypted group chat where administration officials appeared to be discussing plans for renewed U.S. strikes in Yemen.
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On March 15, U.S. forces began launching airstrikes and missile attacks targeting Yemen’s Houthis, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. …
In a March 24 article, The Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported that someone with access to a group chat on the Signal messaging app added him to a chat channel titled “Houthi PC small group” on March 13, about two full days before the renewed U.S. strikes on Yemen began.
Recounting the episode, Goldberg reported that the Signal user who brought him onto the chat was named “Michael Waltz,” the same name as Trump’s national security adviser. It was there on this chat channel that several other Signal users discussed the planning to begin striking targets in Yemen.
Goldberg provided some copies of the text messages that flowed through the chat group and described other elements of the discussion in looser detail.
At one point in his summary of the incident, Goldberg alleged that a Signal user, whom he believes was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, described the timing, targets, and specific weapons to be used in the renewed strikes on Yemen. …
A spokesman for the National Security Council has since told The Epoch Times that the conversation Goldberg described in his article “appears to be authentic.” …
What Is Signal?
Since this Signal chat leaked to Goldberg, lawmakers have begun asking whether the private texting application is an appropriate venue for the discussions that took place.
The Signal Technology Foundation, which developed the texting app, has said its product has “state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption” and runs on an open-source protocol. …
At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on March 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe—whom Goldberg reported had appeared on the Yemen Signal chat—said CIA staff loaded the app onto his work computer and briefed him as to its appropriate uses. …
No Classified Information Shared: Officials
The Trump administration officials involved in the Signal chat have rebutted Goldberg’s suggestions that their conversation included critically sensitive details.
During a stopover in Hawaii on Monday, Hegseth said “nobody was texting war plans.” …
At their Tuesday Senate hearing, Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—who also was reportedly involved in the Signal chat—both said no classified information was discussed in the chat channel Goldberg saw. …
Calls for Investigation Mount
While the National Security Council is reviewing how Goldberg came to be added to the chat, calls are continuing to mount for an external investigation of the matter. …
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the Senate would look into the matter. …
Trump Stands by Waltz
While Goldberg’s reporting suggests Waltz added him to the Yemen signal chat, the president has continued to publicly support his national security adviser.
Addressing reporters at a White House event on Tuesday, Trump said that despite the chat group leak, the renewed U.S. strikes on the Houthis have been a resounding success.
He also said that government employees widely use the Signal app and that no classified information was shared in this particular channel.
Trump attributed the leak episode to a fault in the technology and suggested that officials might reduce usage of the app. …
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(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: The White House/Flickr)