The Trump administration scrambled on Tuesday to manage the fallout after a journalist revealed he had inadvertently been included in a confidential group chat discussing highly sensitive military operations. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers intensified calls for top intelligence and defense officials to step down over what they described as a severe security lapse.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, both participants in the Signal group chat, assured the Senate Intelligence Committee that no classified material was exchanged on the encrypted messaging platform. However, Democratic senators challenged this assertion, citing a report by The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who stated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had shared details of upcoming U.S. strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis—including targets, weaponry, and attack sequencing.
“It’s difficult to believe that discussions of targets, weapons, and timing weren’t classified,” remarked Senator Angus King, an independent aligned with the Democrats, during a hearing initially scheduled to assess global threats. News of the incident, which broke on Monday, sparked alarm among national security experts and prompted bipartisan calls for an inquiry into what appeared to be a serious breach of intelligence protocols.
At the hearing, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden urged immediate resignations, starting with the national security adviser and the secretary of defense. Senator Michael Bennet also pressed Ratcliffe, questioning how Goldberg’s presence in the chat had gone unnoticed. “You’re the CIA director! Why didn’t you realize there was a journalist in the Signal group?” Bennet demanded, arguing that Ratcliffe had failed to uphold his responsibilities.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Donald Trump defended his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, who had mistakenly added Goldberg to the conversation. “Michael Waltz has learned his lesson—he’s a good man,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview. Meanwhile, White House officials acknowledged the authenticity of the chat group and launched an internal review to determine how Goldberg’s number was added to the thread.
Security experts pointed out that while Signal is widely respected in intelligence circles for its encryption, using a commercial messaging app for high-level discussions still presents risks. “The issue isn’t necessarily Signal’s security—it’s the vulnerability of the mobile devices themselves,” said cybersecurity expert Rocky Cole. “If a nation-state actor gains access to an official’s phone, all Signal messages on that device could be compromised.” As investigations unfold, concerns over the administration’s handling of classified information continue to mount.