‘Houthi PC small group’: Top Trump adminration officials ‘accidentally’ share Yemen war plans with journal | World News
Donald Trump’s adminration, in an inadvertent error, accidentally added a journal to a private chat about secret US military plans for strikes on the Houthi armed group in Yemen.
The journal, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was makenly included in a Signal chat group named “Houthi PC small group,” where senior officials discussed classified military plans, including imminent US strikes on Yemen.
According to The Guardian, the error involved top officials—including Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—who were using the messaging app Signal to coordinate their strategy. Signal, while encrypted, is not approved for sharing classified information.
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The journal, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, discovered he had been added to a Signal group called “Houthi PC Small Group” alongside 18 senior Trump adminration members. In his report, Goldberg said he quickly deleted sensitive material, including details about a CIA officer and ongoing operations.
A White House spokesperson, Brian Hughes, confirmed to The Guardian that the messages were real. “This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes said. He also defended the officials, claiming the messages showed “deep and thoughtful policy coordination” and that the military operation was successful.
When asked about the incident, President Trump dismissed it, saying, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic.” Later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement insing that Trump still had “the utmost confidence” in his national security team.
The leaked messages also revealed some striking conversations. According to The Guardian, Vance expressed frustration over the US carrying the burden of defending global shipping routes, writing, “I just hate bailing Europe out again.” Hegseth reportedly agreed, calling European reliance on US military support “PATHETIC.”Story continues below this ad
The breach has sparked outrage among security experts and politicians. Democratic Representative Pat Ryan, a military veteran, called the situation “fubar” (a military term meaning completely messed up). He demanded an immediate investigation, saying, “If House Republicans won’t hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I’ll do it my damn self.”
Shane Harris, a longtime national security journal, also reacted strongly, saying, “In 25 years of covering national security, I’ve never seen a story like this.”
As the White House faces criticism over the blunder, questions remain about how such a make occurred—and whether it could happen again.
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