A Yemen war plan. A “private” Signal chat. And one very wrong number.

Earlier this month, a Signal chat intended for top U.S. national security officials—meant to coordinate strikes on Yemen—accidentally looped in The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. The fallout? Possible breaches of the Espionage Act, Federal Records Act, Classified Information Procedures Act—even Executive Order 13526 and Pentagon protocols.

Goldberg, who published his bombshell report about it Monday, revealed he briefly saw highly sensitive details—including specific weapons systems, human targets, and other top-secret information—sent by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before removing himself from the chat. 

Goldberg has not released that content publicly. 

“My obligation, I feel, is to the idea that we take national security information seriously,” he said in an interview with The Bulwark Tuesday. “All of my inclinations, as you can tell, including withholding the name of the CIA undercover officer.”

Despite Goldberg’s restraint, the political fallout has been messy.

How a Signal Slip-Up Exposed a War Plan to a Journalist

According to Goldberg’s reporting, the Signal chat—intended for top-level coordination—accidentally included him due to what appears to be an error by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. 

Hegseth sent the war plan to the group at 11:44 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 15—less than two hours before the U.S. began striking targets in Yemen. 

When Goldberg checked back in after the bombing, the chat was buzzing with comments like “excellent” and “good start.” Rep. Waltz chimed in with a string of emojis: a clenched fist, an American flag, and flames.

Participants reportedly included:

• Vice President JD Vance​
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio​
• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth​
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard​
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe​
• National Security Advisor Michael Waltz​
• White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles​
• Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller​
• Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff​
• Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
• Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg (accidentally added)​

Senate Hearing Turns Into Emoji-Fueled Spectacle

During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Gabbard and Ratcliffe denied that the messages included any classified material. 

“Um, Senator, I don't want to get into this...There was no classified material that was shared,” Gabbard told lawmakers, while Ratcliffe added, “My communications… were entirely permissible and lawful and did not include classified information.”

 "Of course we're going to keep everything as secure as possible. No one in your national security team would ever put anyone in danger ... they want to talk all this other stuff except for all your amazing successes," Waltz said.

“It’s hard for me to believe that targets and timing and weapons would not have been classified,” Senator Angus King shot back.

“This is an embarrassment. We will get the full transcript of this chain, and your testimony will be measured carefully against its content,” Sen. Jon Ossoff said after Ratcliffe refused to admit the leak was a huge mistake.

Congress members also used Tuesday’s hearing to comment on the strange tone of the chat.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz held up a sign featuring a fist, an American flag, and a fire emoji: 

“Rather than giving a long speech, I feel like I can just use this… From now on, when we do things where we agree, I will just hold this up.”

When Rep. Thomas Massie chimed in that perhaps a flexed arm would be more appropriate than a fist emoji, Moskowitz fired back: “What Signal chat are you in?”

Denials, Deflections, and Resignation Calls

President Trump downplayed the incident, calling it “the only glitch in two months” during an NBC interview and suggested the mix-up may have come from one of Waltz’s aides.

“When the stakes are this high, incompetence is not an option. Pete Hegseth should resign. Mike Waltz should resign,”  Democratic Senator Mark Warner posted on X.

Conservative voices are raising alarms, too.

 “The whole story is a tale so clownish, so stunning, so outlandish that it would seem to better fit into a gonzo satire of government ineptitude,” wrote National Review executive editor Mark Wright. “President Trump should demand Pete Hegseth’s resignation. Today.”

Fox News host Jesse Watters, on the other hand, brushed it off as a “wee bit of a security breach,” joking that it was like accidentally adding “Aunt Mary” to a bachelor party group chat. “Well, he heard some things he probably shouldn’t have,” Watters said of Goldberg. “I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

What Happens Now?

Goldberg said The Atlantic may still release more details. 

“Maybe in the coming days, I’ll be able to let you know, okay, I have a plan to have this material vetted publicly. But I’m not going to say that now.”

FBI Director Kash Patel, seated alongside Gabbard and Ratcliffe, told the committee he’d only been brought up to speed recently and couldn’t say if an investigation was in motion. Sen. Warner, unsatisfied, called for a full update by the end of the day Wednesday.