Imagine accidentally being added to a secret RA&W group chat about an impending air strike across the border, with the Home Minister, the RA&W Chief, the MEA, and a few key security topguns discussing what is supposed to be classified. Imagine your surprise that no one in the group notices your suspicious presence. Imagine your extended surprise when you find out a couple days later that it wasn't some prank when the strike occurs precisely at the time as discussed in the secret group chat! Replace the aforementioned fictitious narrative with American Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others. These top American leaders discussed the prospect of a US strike in Yemen on Houthis in a group chat in the Signal app. Atlantic’s journalist and editor-in-chief Jeffery Gobldberg was inadvertently added by White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz.
The US strike on the Houthi group occurred on March 15, which shook the journalist to the core, who up to this point was mulling over whether the group chat was a covert psyop, misinformation propaganda, or even an AI attack. Golbderg remarked in the latest Atlantic article that some of the content shared in the chat was sensitive enough to compromise the security of the American Army and intelligence.
An excerpt from the Atlantic article
The Signal app is not approved by the government for sharing classified information.
The government has its own systems for that purpose. If officials want to discuss military activity, they should go into a specially designed space known as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF—most Cabinet-level national-security officials have one installed in their home—or communicate only on approved government equipment, the lawyers said.
Normally, cellphones are not permitted inside a SCIF, which suggests that as these officials were sharing information about an active military operation, they could have been moving around in public. Had they lost their phones, or had they been stolen, the potential risk to national security would have been severe.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACCIDENTALLY TEXTED ME ITS WAR PLANS https://t.co/xfheTiqK5C — Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) March 24, 2025
BREAKING: White House confirms Trump national security team accidentally texted plans for Yemen attacks to The Atlantic’s editor in chief — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 24, 2025
"Why is this conversation happening out in the open?"https://t.co/EapkvRnekI
On Radio Atlantic, The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg speaks with Hanna Rosin about being added to a group text with top Trump administration officials that discussed plans for a military… pic.twitter.com/ACwvzwpkcU — The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 25, 2025
American war planning usually takes place in highly secure facilities. But the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, @JeffreyGoldberg. https://t.co/MC5tzh084a — The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 25, 2025
Meanwhile the Internet erupted in memes over the secret group chat row. Here are few for your chuckling pleasure.
pic.twitter.com/VX639Biaiv — Rigobert (@aQo1_) March 24, 2025
Possibly my favourite #SignalGate meme so far 🤣 pic.twitter.com/kNQl9iAzrZ — 🚜🇺🇦Steve Blurryenko🇬🇧🦈 (@TankieSlappa) March 25, 2025
"Hold up. Hegseth is texting again." pic.twitter.com/eV1UDIWEpK — Devin Duke (@sirDukeDevin) March 25, 2025
"you have been added to the Mordor Isengard Small Group Chat" pic.twitter.com/9febC8z8jm — Josh RR Jokien (@joshcarlosjosh) March 24, 2025
pic.twitter.com/COepQBDFlZ — Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) March 24, 2025
"there's a reporter in the groupchat" pic.twitter.com/h0EtNoXOAT — katya (@EhresmanKatya) March 24, 2025
Pete Hegseth is messy. pic.twitter.com/r3F1sbTFta — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) March 24, 2025
me reading national security secrets bc i've been accidentally added to a group chat pic.twitter.com/tSoiEj4gKR — derek guy (@dieworkwear) March 24, 2025
#SignalGate pic.twitter.com/54MU9uBEnG — Nerds for Humanity 🇺🇸 📊 🤓 (@nerds_humanity) March 25, 2025
Drop your favorite #signalgate memes below 👇
We'll start first 😎 pic.twitter.com/QPU334isxF— u-shirt 🌻Unique Ukrainian Brand (@ua_shirt) March 25, 2025
You're unfit for office @SecDef , @PeteHegseth, and are a now the brunt of international jokes.#SignalGate #ResignPeteHegseth pic.twitter.com/kv1F322dXW — LC ~ I’m with her 🇺🇸 (@lc1_summit) March 24, 2025
