Trump officials’ plan to bomb Yemen’s Houthis accidentally shared with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in group chat
The Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation after a reporter was accidentally included in a group chat where senior US officials discussed conducting airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.
Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, was added to a group which included US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
In an article titled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans, Mr Goldberg revealed he “knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming”.
Senior Democrats have been highly critical of the incident. Congressman Jamie Raskin told Sky’s Martha Kelner: “This is such a basic error to be talking about war plans and military strategy in such a sloppy and open and public way.
“Almost certainly there were crimes committed in the process.”
When asked about the use of emojis in the group chat, Mr Raskin said: “It doesn’t surprise me coming from this crowd.”
Mr Goldberg said he had received a connection request on the encrypted messaging service Signal by Mr Waltz on 11 March and was invited to join the “Houthi PC small group” two days later.
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‘Didn’t believe it was national security chat’
Responding to the report, Mr Trump said “I know nothing about it” and called The Atlantic “not much of a magazine”. He added: “I don’t know anything about it. You’re telling me about it for the first time.”
Speaking to reporters in Hawaii, Mr Hegseth said: “Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.” He also claimed Mr Goldberg was “peddling garbage”.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth in the White House last week. Pic: Reuters
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, in 2022. Pic: Reuters
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for a full investigation, saying: “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time.”
On 15 March, US airstrikes killed at least 53 people in Yemen in retaliation for Houthi threats to begin targeting “Israeli” ships after Israel blocked aid entering the Gaza Strip. The daily bombardment has continued for the 10 days since then.
When Mr Goldberg initially received a connection request from Mr Waltz, he was sceptical and initially thought “someone could be masquerading as Waltz in order to somehow entrap me”.
A spokesperson for the US National Security Council said: “At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.
“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 our service members or our national security.”
Read more:
Who are the Houthis?
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From 16 March: US launches multiple strikes on Yemen’s Houthis
A US ship fires missiles during the strikes. Pic: US Central Command/Reuters
Group included ‘active intelligence officer’
After he was added to the “Houthi PC small group” on 13 March, Mr Goldberg saw a message from Mr Waltz asking the other members to provide a point of contact “for us to coordinate with over the next couple of days and over the weekend”.
In total, 18 people were part of the group, Mr Goldberg said, including Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiator, and an “active intelligence officer” whose name he did not publish.
Smoke rises in Yemen’s capital Houthi after US airstrikes. Pic: AP
The next day Mr Waltz texted the group: “Team, you should have a statement of conclusions with taskings per the Presidents [sic] guidance this morning in your high side inboxes,” with “high side” referring to classified computer systems.
“State and DOD [Department of Defence], we developed suggested notification lists for regional Allies and partners. Joint Staff is sending this am [morning] a more specific sequence of events in the coming days and we will work w DOD to ensure COS [chief of staff], OVP [office of the vice president] and POTUS [president of the United States] are briefed.”
Smoke rises from an explosion after a group of buildings were hit during the strikes. Pic: US Central Command/Reuters
‘I think we are making a mistake’, vice president says
Mr Vance, who was at an economic event in Michigan, messaged: “I think we are making a mistake.
“[Three] percent of US trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.”
He added: “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”
The aftermath of US airstrikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. Pic: Reuters
European ‘free-loading’ is ‘PATHETIC’, senior officials say
Later in the conversation, Mr Waltz criticised the limited capabilities of European navies, writing: “Whether it’s now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes. Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”
Mr Vance addressed Mr Hegseth in a message reading: “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Pics: The Atlantic
Mr Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”
An account believed to be the deputy White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller, then said: “As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”
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Messages could ‘harm American military and intelligence personnel’
The next day, the day of the strikes, Mr Goldberg said he saw messages which “if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel”.
“I will say a prayer for victory,” Mr Vance said.
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Democrat hits out at chat group
Mr Goldberg said after the strikes many of those in the group celebrated with messages including “good job” and “God bless”.
When he realised the messages were real, Mr Goldberg removed himself from the Signal group and emailed several officials in the group for comment.
A spokesperson for Mr Vance replied: “The Vice President’s first priority is always making sure that the President’s advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations.
“Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement.”
It comes after Mr Hegseth’s office announced a crackdown on leaking sensitive information.
World
What is in the Black Sea ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine – and how significant is it?
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire deal.
The agreement came after Ukraine and US delegations held talks in Saudi Arabia today.
But what is the Black Sea deal – and is it a full ceasefire?
Follow live: Black Sea ceasefire deal reached after Saudi talks
What is in the Black Sea ceasefire deal?
These are the main aspects of the deal set out by the US:
• The US and Russia have agreed to safe navigation in the Black Sea, which had been a key focus of talks this week
• Additionally, they agreed to work together on measures banning strikes on energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine
• Washington will also help to restore Russia’s access to global markets for agricultural and fertiliser exports, the White House said – although where this leaves Western sanctions against Russia is unclear at this stage.
The US also said it has agreed it will remain committed to returning forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement, but added that Kyiv maintains any movement by Russian military vessels outside of eastern part of the Black Sea will constitute violation of the spirit of this agreement.
“In this case Ukraine will have full right to exercise right to self-defence,” he said.
He added: “All parties agreed to develop measures for implementing the presidents’ agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Ukraine and Russia.”
The Kremlin has confirmed that it has agreed to the ceasefire but there has been a disagreement over the timing and conditions.
While Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he understood the ceasefire would start immediately after the US announcement, Moscow has countered, saying it will only come into force after Western sanctions are lifted against companies involved in food and fertiliser exports.
How significant is this?
The deal won’t do much to end the war, according to Sky News’ security analyst Michael Clarke.
He says Russia will be quite happy dragging the US through peace talks without making any meaningful concessions.
The deal is one the US “can boast about” – without it changing much on the ground for Ukraine, he says.
“The Russians will be quite happy about that because they’ll just keep going down more and more rabbit holes and they’ll present little gains for the US,” he explains.
“But they won’t address the central issue,” he says.
No real deal can be agreed unless Donald Trump starts putting meaningful pressure on Vladimir Putin, he says.
A Ukrainian patrol boat in the Black Sea in 2024. Pic: Reuters
“Unless the Americans are prepared to pressure Russia as opposed to just keeping offering them more advantages, the war will just go on.”
He also says Mr Trump will stay interested until it “gets difficult”, at which point he’ll “just go onto something else”.
“He’s a disrupter, but when disruption becomes hard to follow through, he goes on to the next topic, and I think that’s what will happen.”
Why is Russia willing to agree to a ceasefire at sea now?
Under the ceasefire at sea, Russia would once again be able to export farm produce and fertiliser through the Black Sea, getting relief from sanctions imposed by Western countries.
The US even referred to helping Russia access the world market again for agricultural products in its statement.
According to Prof Clarke, Russia is happy to continue fighting on land, where it is slowly making gains, while signing up to something that protects its ships at sea – where Ukraine has been growing in confidence and damaging Russian vessels.
And it helps with Russia’s goal of getting its equipment out of the Black Sea.
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Why is the Black Sea so important to Russia?
Today’s agreement has come in the midst of negotiations between Russia, the US and Ukraine in Riyadh in recent days centred on the Black Sea.
But the basis of the negotiations was a deal to secure shipping there that collapsed more than 18 months ago.
That UN-backed deal was negotiated in July 2022 between Turkey, the UN and Russia as a way of ensuring that Ukraine, one of the breadbaskets of the world, could keep exporting grain via its southern ports without being attacked.
It was known as the Black Sea grain initiative.
That deal benefited Russia, as it also allowed for greater Russian agricultural exports – but but Moscow pulled out of the initiative in July 2023 after accusing the West of reneging on this part of the agreement.
This meant Russia stopped granting safe passage to cargo ships going to and from Ukraine, and the country’s grain exports subsequently slumped.
But Russia is now said to be keen to revive parts of the grain deal.
What happened the last time Ukraine and Russia had a ceasefire agreement?
Last week, Mr Putin agreed to an immediate 30-day pause in strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
However, within 24 hours Ukraine and Russia accused the other of breaking the pledge.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and France football legend Michel Platini have been cleared of fraud for a second time.
The former FIFA president and former UEFA president were accused of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2m (£1.5m) of FIFA money in 2011.
The attorney general’s office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.
Blatter, 89, and Platini, 69, once among the most powerful figures in football, have consistently denied wrongdoing.
Former UEFA President Michel Platini. Pic: Reuters
They were cleared of fraud at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in the town of Muttenz, near Basel.
Blatter approved FIFA paying 2m Swiss francs (now $2.21m) to France football great Platini in February 2011 for supplementary and non-contracted salary working as a presidential adviser from 1998 to 2002.
The Swiss federal investigation emerged in September 2015 as Platini was a strong favourite to succeed his one-time mentor in an upcoming election.
The probe kicked off events which would ultimately bring to an end the careers of Blatter and Platini.
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Though federal court trials have twice cleared their names, Blatter’s reputation will likely always be tied to leading FIFA during corruption crises that took down a swath of senior football officials worldwide.
Platini, one of football’s greatest players and later Blatter’s protégé in football politics, never got the FIFA presidency he aspired to.
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