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The Atlantic on Wednesday posted screenshots and a fuller text chain from the Signal group chat that inadvertently included a journalist, after the White House and top administration officials on the chat claimed no “war plans” were discussed.The screenshots show the timing and targets of the attack on Houthis in Yemen earlier this month were shared by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and discussed in the chat. The White House has stated — and Cabinet officials testified Tuesday — the information in the group chat wasn’t classified, even though Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg received tactical details before the attack. At 11:44 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 15, Hegseth posted in the chat, in all caps, according to screenshots provided by The Atlantic: “TEAM UPDATE: TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.” The ensuing message included the timing of the expected strikes and what type of weapons would be used. “This Signal message shows that the U.S. secretary of defense texted a group that included a phone number unknown to him—Goldberg’s cellphone—at 11:44 a.m.,” Goldberg and Shane Harris wrote in The Atlantic. “This was 31 minutes before the first U.S. warplanes launched, and two hours and one minute before the beginning of a period in which a primary target, the Houthi ‘Target Terrorist,’ was expected to be killed by these American aircraft.” “If this text had been received by someone hostile to American interests—or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media—the Houthis would have had time to prepare for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds,” Goldberg and Harris continued. “The consequences for American pilots could have been catastrophic.”
The White House has not denied the authenticity of the messages, but is sticking with its characterization of the information and continued to attack Goldberg.”The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans,'” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X Wednesday morning. “This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.””No locations,” national security adviser Mike Waltz wrote on X Wednesday morning. “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.”He asserted that the sources of the intelligence were not discussed but did not address the timing or weapons packages used in the strikes.
Vice President JD Vance, who also appeared to be in group chat, posted on social media that Goldberg “oversold what he had,” and said the classified information that Goldberg claimed CIA director John Ratcliffe shared was “the name of his chief of staff.” Under questioning by Democrats at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Trump administration intelligence officials denied that the information in the chat was classified. Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who were both in the Houthi chat group, were asked by Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico whether the Signal conversation included information on “weapons packages, targets or timing.” Ratcliffe replied, “Not that I’m aware of,” and Gabbard said, “Same answer and defer to the Department of Defense on that question.” Both said they had no knowledge of the chat including operational details of the strike in Yemen. The Atlantic said it asked Trump administration officials and the White House if they objected to publishing the messages in light of their denials that the messages contained classified information or “war plans.” Most did not respond, and Leavitt told The Atlantic the administration objected to the release, while insisting there was “no classified information transmitted in the group chat.”
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Kathryn Watson
Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
