The Donald Trump administration is embroiled in a major diplomatic scandal. Senior Trump administration officials mistakenly disclosed their plans for a possible attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The information was first published by the prestigious American newspaper The Atlantic. Democratic lawmakers quickly criticized the American plan as wrong, saying it was a violation of US national security and a violation of the law that should be investigated by Congress.
Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, in his response, said he was unexpectedly invited on March 13 to an encrypted chat group on the messaging app Signal called the “Houthi Computer Group.” In the group, national security adviser Mike Waltz tasked his deputy, Alex Wong, with creating a “tiger team” to coordinate U.S. action against the Houthis. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the chat group appeared to be authentic.
Accounts that appeared to represent Vice President J.D. Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and senior National Security Council officials were gathered in the chat group, Goldberg wrote.
In the conversations, US officials debated whether the US should carry out the strikes, and at one point Vance appeared to question whether US allies in Europe, more exposed to the disruption of shipping in the region, deserved US help. Joe Kent, Trump's nominee to direct the National Counterterrorism Center, was apparently in the Signal chain despite not yet being confirmed by the Senate.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he was unaware of the incident. "I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of The Atlantic," Trump said. A White House official later said an investigation was underway and Trump had been briefed on it.
Pete Hegseth denied sharing war plans in the group chat. "Nobody was messaging about war plans and that's all I have to say about that," he told reporters while on an official trip to Hawaii.
But Hegseth's reaction contradicted statements by Security Council spokesman Hughes, who had described the story of the conversation as most likely authentic. (A2 Televizion)
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