A startling error by US national security adviser Mike Waltz reportedly led to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg being mistakenly added to a top-level Signal chat discussing American strikes in Yemen.
According to three unnamed sources quoted by The Guardian, the breach stemmed from a phone contact mix-up traced back to the 2024 campaign, a mishap that US President Donald Trump considered firing Waltz over.
The internal White House investigation found that Goldberg’s number was saved on Waltz’s phone under a completely different contact, Brian Hughes, now spokesperson for the National Security Council.
The confusion began when Hughes, in October 2024, forwarded Goldberg’s critical email about Trump’s stance on wounded US soldiers to Waltz. The message included Goldberg’s signature block, complete with his phone number.
Waltz didn’t contact Goldberg, but somehow his number was saved in the wrong contact card due to an iPhone’s contact suggestion algorithm, reported The Guardian.
The error went unnoticed until March 13, when Waltz created a Signal group chat called “Houthi PC small group” to coordinate military plans. Intending to add Hughes, Waltz inadvertently added Goldberg.
The group included 18 senior officials, among them Vice President JD Vance, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio and others.
Goldberg’s presence was only discovered after sensitive operational messages had already circulated.
Despite the gravity of the error, Trump reportedly chose not to fire Waltz, more irritated by the fact that he had Goldberg’s number at all, given Trump’s long-standing contempt for The Atlantic, than by the security lapse itself. He was also reassured by the internal review, which showed no classified data had been shared.
Goldberg declined to offer details but told The Guardian, “I’m not going to comment on my relationship with Mike Waltz beyond saying I do know him and have spoken to him.”
In public remarks, Waltz said he had “never met, don’t know, never communicated with” Goldberg. On Fox News, he later admitted, “We made a mistake. We’re moving forward,” taking “full responsibility” for the breach and suggesting the contact may have been “sucked in” through iPhone syncing.
Trump, addressing the incident during a Newsmax interview, downplayed its impact. “It wasn’t classified, as I understand it,” he said. “The attack was a tremendous success… We feel very comfortable.” He also signalled a retreat from using Signal, saying, “We won’t be using it very much,” advocating instead for in-person meetings with “solid lead walls and a lead ceiling and lead floor.”
The episode prompted a forensic review by the White House IT office and drew sympathy from within Trump’s circle, who noted Signal had been authorised for inter-agency communication due to the lack of a secure alternative. Even the Biden administration had failed to implement a replacement, reported The Guardian citing sources.
