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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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House Speaker Mike Johnson weighed in Monday after The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg revealed in a bombshell report that top national security officials and Cabinet secretaries had inadvertently included him in a group chat about the U.S.'s plan to launch air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
The Pentagon referred Newsweek to the National Security Council when asked for comment on the apparent security lapse. The NSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson for the agency previously confirmed to Goldberg the Signal group chat "appears to be an authentic message chain."
The Context
Goldberg wrote that he was first added to the group chat by someone who identified themselves on Signal as "Michael Waltz."
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Mike Waltz is President Donald Trump's national security adviser.
The text discussions Goldberg was party to took place over the course of several days and culminated in Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sharing highly sensitive and classified details about the Pentagon's plan to carry out military strikes against the Houthis, who have been launching attacks on Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea for more than a year.
Hegseth shared what Goldberg described as "operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing."
Goldberg did not quote directly from the message, writing that if a U.S. adversary read the information contained in it, they could use it to harm American military and intelligence personnel.
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What To Know
Johnson told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration "is addressing what's happening," adding: "Apparently, an inadvertent phone number made it onto that thread. They are going to track that down and make sure it doesn't happen again."
"What you did see, though, I think, was top level officials doing their job, doing it well and executing on a plan with precision," the Louisiana Republican said. "That mission was a success. No one was jeopardized because of it. We're grateful for that, but they will certainly, I'm sure, make sure that that doesn't happen again."
Asked if it the blunder was "irresponsible," Johnson replied: "Look, I'm not going to characterize what happened."
"Clearly, I think the administration has acknowledged it was a mistake," the House speaker added. "And they'll tighten up and make sure it doesn't happen again. I don't know what else you can say about that."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump responded to Goldberg's article on Monday afternoon, telling reporters: "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. But I know nothing about it. You're saying that they had what?"
When a reporter elaborated on the details of Goldberg's reporting, Trump said: "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."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: "As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz."
What Happens Next
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle erupted after The Atlantic's story was published, with Democrats and Republicans alike calling for an investigation into the matter.
Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the NSC, said in an earlier statement that the agency is looking into how Goldberg came to be included in the group chat in the first place.
"This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain," he said. "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."
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