Signal leak live: national security adviser plays down seriousness of attack details in newly released messages
Gabbard repeats claim ‘no classified information was shared’ in group chat but admits adding journalist was ‘mistake’
The director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said on Wednesday’s hearing that “it was a mistake” that a journalist was inadvertently included in a Signal chat with top national security officials discussing imminent strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. She doubled down on the claim that no classified information was discussed in the chat.
“The president and national adviser Waltz held a press conference with a clear message. It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added to a Signal chat with high-level national security principles having a policy discussion about imminent strikes against the Houthis and the effects of the strike,” she said.
“National security adviser has taken full responsibility for this, and the National Security Council is conducting an in depth review, along with tech, technical experts working to determine how this reporter was inadvertently added to this chat,” she added.
“The conversation was candid and sensitive, but as the president, national security adviser stated, no classified information was shared. There were no sources, methods, locations or war plans that were shared. This was a standard update to the national security cabinet that was provided alongside updates that were given to foreign partners in the region,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard said that the messaging app Signal “comes pre-installed on government devices”.
“Ideally, these conversations occur in person. However, at times, fast-moving coordination of an unclassified nature is necessary, or in person, conversation is not an option.”
Key events
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, who grilled top security officials during Tuesday’s Senate Intelligence Committee briefing, appeared on Morning Joe this morning to discuss the recently released text messages published by The Atlantic on Wednesday.
“Well it sure answers that the two witnesses I believe lied when they said, ‘Oh, nothing to see here, nothing classified.’,” he said.
“You would have to be an idiot not to understand that what Jeffrey [Goldberg] just laid out is at a huge classification level. That if it had fallen into enemy hands and the Houthis had been able to realign their offenses, American lives could be lost”, he added.
Chris Stein
As he had done before the Senate the day before, CIA director John Ratcliffe insisted he broke no rules and did not share classified information.
“I used an appropriate channel to communicate sensitive information. It was permissible to do so. I didn’t transfer any classified information. And at the end of the day, what is most important is that the mission was a remarkable success is what everyone should be focused on here, because that’s what did happen, not possibly could have happened,” Ratcliffe told the House intelligence committee.
Chris Stein
The House intelligence committee’s top Democrat Jim Himes asked Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, why she had told senators on Tuesday that no details of timing, targets or weapons were revealed in the Signal group chat.
The Atlantic this morning published the transcript of the chat, which showed that defense secretary Pete Hegseth shared such details with the chat’s participants ahead of the US military’s airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
“My answer yesterday was based on my recollection, or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there … What was shared today reflects the fact that I was not directly involved with that part of the Signal chat and replied at the end, reflecting the effects, the very brief effects that the national security advisor had shared,” Gabbard replied.
Gabbard repeats claim ‘no classified information was shared’ in group chat but admits adding journalist was ‘mistake’
The director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said on Wednesday’s hearing that “it was a mistake” that a journalist was inadvertently included in a Signal chat with top national security officials discussing imminent strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. She doubled down on the claim that no classified information was discussed in the chat.
“The president and national adviser Waltz held a press conference with a clear message. It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added to a Signal chat with high-level national security principles having a policy discussion about imminent strikes against the Houthis and the effects of the strike,” she said.
“National security adviser has taken full responsibility for this, and the National Security Council is conducting an in depth review, along with tech, technical experts working to determine how this reporter was inadvertently added to this chat,” she added.
“The conversation was candid and sensitive, but as the president, national security adviser stated, no classified information was shared. There were no sources, methods, locations or war plans that were shared. This was a standard update to the national security cabinet that was provided alongside updates that were given to foreign partners in the region,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard said that the messaging app Signal “comes pre-installed on government devices”.
“Ideally, these conversations occur in person. However, at times, fast-moving coordination of an unclassified nature is necessary, or in person, conversation is not an option.”
On Wednesday’s hearing, the Democratic representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking member of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, condemned defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s handling of the alleged inadvertent leak of a chat about war plans on the messaging app Signal.
“There’s only one response to a mistake of this magnitude: you apologize, you own it, and you stop everything until you can figure out what went wrong, and how it might not ever happen again. That’s not what happened,” Himes said.
“The Secretary of Defense responded with a brutal attack on the reporter who did not ask to be on the Signal chain yesterday. Our former colleague Mike Waltz did the same in the White House and then went on Fox to call Jeff Goldberg a loser. What do you think the people who work for you are seeing and learning from that?” he added.
Signal group chat officials testify before House intelligence committee
CIA director John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI director Kash Patel, and other national security officials are testifying on global threats before the House intelligence committee.
The hearing comes about two hours after the Atlantic published the text messages sent in a Signal group chat discussing the US military operation in Yemen.
The chair of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, Rick Crawford of Arkansas, addressed Tuesday’s security hearing, which was blanketed with questions about the use of the Signal messaging app by US officials and whether classified information was discussed in the chat.
“Unfortunately, instead of exploiting the real and existential threats that face our nation, which is the purpose of this hearing, this issue consumed most of their time,” Crawford said.
“While I will address this topic further in my questions, it’s my sincere hope that we use this hearing to discuss the many foreign threats facing our nation. I have deep concerns about the state of our national security,” he added.
JD Vance says Atlantic overplayed what he and other officials discussed in the Signal chat
In a post on social media platform X, the vice-president, JD Vance, wrote:
It’s very clear Goldberg oversold what he had. But one thing in particular really stands out. Remember when he was attacking Ratcliffe for blowing the cover for a CIA agent? Turns out Ratcliffe was simply naming his chief of staff.
It’s very clear Goldberg oversold what he had. But one thing in particular really stands out.
Remember when he was attacking Ratcliffe for blowing the cover for a CIA agent? Turns out Ratcliffe was simply naming his chief of staff. https://t.co/BUGbX6gZDZ
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 26, 2025
Waltz plays down seriousness of leaked texts
Mike Waltz, the national security adviser who invited Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg into a top-secret US military planning group chat, has played down the impact of leaked text messages, which may have compromised national security.
In a post on X, Waltz wrote:
No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests.
As previously reported, the Atlantic make the point that if hostile entities had received the texts “or someone merely indiscreet and with access to social media”, the Houthis could have prepared “for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds. The consequences for American pilots could have been catastrophic.”
Former Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh says that Pete Hegseth put the lives of US military personnel at risk. Writing on X Singh said:
Pete Hegseth put the sequencing of the entire operation & types of aircraft that would be used to conduct these strikes all before the operation took place. He put the lives of our fighter pilots at risk. Details like this are classified. I am absolutely floored.
The conversation in the Signal texts published today by the Atlantic magazine focused on attacks on the Houthis and included barbs directed at the US’s European allies.
The Atlantic reports that on the day of the attack on 15 March 2025, the discussion veered toward the operational.
The thread released today by the Atlantic begins with Hegseth under the heading “TEAM UPDATE”:
Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.
Hegseth continued:
1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package) 1345et: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)
The Atlantic make the point that if these texts had been received by hostile entities “or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media”, the Houthis could have prepared “for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds. The consequences for American pilots could have been catastrophic.”
The Hegseth text then continued with details about when the bombs “will definitely drop”:
We are currently clean on OPSEC”–that is, operational security. Godspeed to our Warriors.
Shortly after, the vice-president, JD Vance, texted the group:
I will say a prayer for victory.
Then at 1.48 pm, Waltz sent the following text, which the Atlantic say contained “real-time intelligence about conditions at an attack site”:
VP. Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job.
The Atlantic claim that Waltz was referring to Hegseth, Gen Michael E Kurilla, the commander of Central Command, and the intelligence community.
Vance then wrote: “What?” presumably because he didn’t understand.
At 2 pm, Waltz wrote:
Typing too fast. The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.
The Atlantic report that Vance wrote in his reply: “Excellent.” Then 35 minutes later, Ratcliffe, the CIA director, wrote: “A good start,” which prompted Waltz to send a fist emoji, an American flag emoji, and a fire emoji.
Finally, Hegseth posted:
Great job all. More strikes ongoing for hours tonight, and will provide full initial report tomorrow. But on time, on target, and good readouts so far.
The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg says he does not know why he was included in the Signal group chat.
The Atlantic releases text messages leaked by White House
The Atlantic has decided to release the text messages allegedly inadvertently leaked to them about a US military operation in Yemen.
They included details of US bombings, drone launches and targeting information of the assault, including descriptions of weather conditions.
The Atlantic claim that “statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump – combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts – have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions”.
The magazine added that they think there is a “clear public interest” in releasing the texts and then reproduced numerous messages from the chat between the Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, and top intelligence officials.
They included details of US bombings, drone launches and targeting information of the assault, including descriptions of weather conditions.
More to follow …
Gloria Oladipo
For more than a year, students at US colleges and universities have participated in protests in support of Palestine, as Israel’s war has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. Students have faced suspensions and expulsions over encampment demonstrations and other actions, as schools crack down on participation.
Now, at least five students and academics of color at US universities have been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), as a part of the Trump administration’s ongoing punishment on Palestinian support.
“What we’re seeing is the use of immigration law to go after visa holders, permanent lawful residents, [over] their speech,” said Samah Sisay, a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). “He’s trying to suppress political speech that goes against what the administration wants.”
Despite white students, professors and academics also being heavily involved pro-Palestinian protests, people of color have disproportionately faced sudden arrests and threats of deportation or had their visas revoked.
“We’re just seeing the focus on very specific people,” said Sisay, referring to academics of color. “I think it really is to try to create a wedge in solidarity, the multiracial, multiethnic solidarity that’s been created in support of Palestinian human rights.” Ice’s actions, she said, have “set a warning for students of color at these universities who rely on scholarships and educational support to improve their lives or better the situations for their family”.
Adam Gabbatt
A Democrat won a state senate seat in a Pennsylvania district that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump, offering a ray of hope for the party as it continues to struggle nationally with its response to the Trump administration.
James Malone triumphed on Tuesday in the 36th senatorial district, which voted for Trump over Kamala Harris by more than 15 points in last November’s presidential election, in a victory that Democratic party leadership said “should put Republicans on edge”.
It served as a major upset win for the party, which has seen recriminations spill out into the open after Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority leader, voted for Republicans’ funding bill to avoid a government shutdown this month.
“I’m very excited and really, really happy that all the work we put in has paid off,” Malone, who won the district by 482 votes, told WGAL-TV.
