Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic on Wednesday, released the full Signal group chat, which contradicts his earlier claim that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed classified information in discussions about U.S. airstrikes on Yemen, with Vice President JD Vance and other national security principals.
The chat included messages where Hegseth shared updates about the military operation, and the assets like F-18s and drones that would be employed in the operation.
For example, Hegseth wrote, "1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)" and "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)"
"TEAM UPDATE: TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch. 1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package). 1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)," Hegseth reportedly wrote in the text exchange released Wednesday by The Atlantic.
"1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package). 1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets). 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched," he later added.
The chat did not however, include any specific target, names, military units, methods or locations.
Asked about Hegseth, Trump called the Signal group chat story "a witch hunt," and defends the defense secretary. The president said that the messages did not contain classified information.
"Hegseth is doing a great job," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "He had nothing to do this. How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do with it."
Commenting on the release of the full Signal group chat Wednesday, Hegseth, who was about to board a plane from Hawaii to continue his tour of the Indo-Pacific region, again pointed out to reporters that no classified information was revealed in the Signal group chat.
"So, let’s me get this straight," Hegseth also wrote on X. "The Atlantic released the so-called 'war plans' and those 'plans' include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information. Those are some really shitty war plans. This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an 'attack plan' (as he now calls it). Not even close. As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting w/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL 'war plans') and talking to troops. We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes."
Pentagon spokesman also released a statement Wednesday. "It’s no surprise hoax-peddlers at the Atlantic have already abandoned their 'war plans' claim," Sean Parnell wrote on X. "These additional Signal chat messages confirm there were no classified materials or war plans shared. The Secretary was merely updating the group on a plan that was underway & had already been briefed through official channels. The American people see through the Atlantic’s pathetic attempts to distract from President Trump’s national security agenda."
Vance on his part also called out Goldberg for claiming CIA Director John Ratcliffe revealed the name of an undercover CIA agent.
"It’s very clear Goldberg oversold what he had. But one thing in particular really stands out," Vance wrote on X. "Remember when he was attacking Ratcliffe for blowing the cover for a CIA agent? Turns out Ratcliffe was simply naming his chief of staff."
Trump's special envoy to Russia and middle east, who also participated in the Signal group chat, debunked another claim by the left-wing media that he used an unsecure private phone.
"I am incredulous that a good newspaper like the @WSJ would not check with me as to whether I had any personal devices with me on either of my trips to Moscow," Steve Witkoff wrote on X. "If they had, they would have known the truth. Which is, I only had with me a secure phone provided by the government for special circumstances when you travel to regions where you do not want your devices compromised. That is why CBS News reported that Goldberg himself said that he 'has not recounted Witkoff making any comments in that group chat until Saturday, after he left Russia and returned to the U.S.' Guess why? Because I had no access to my personal devices until I returned from my trip. That is the responsible way for me to make these trips and that is how I always conduct myself. Maybe it is time for media outlets like the Journal to acknowledge when some of their people make serious reporting mistakes like this. I would appreciate it if the WSJ and other media outlets check with me the next time they make serious allegations. Thank you."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the released Signal group chat for the first time on Wednesday.
"This thing was set up for purposes of coordinating," Rubio told reporters from Jamaica, noting the point of the text exchange carried out on the encrypted messaging application was purely so that officials knew how to communicate with their various counterparts.
"Obviously, someone made a mistake. Someone made a big mistake and added a journalist," the secretary of state said. "Nothing against journalists. But you ain't supposed to be on that thing."
"I contributed to it twice. I identified my point of contact, which is my chief of staff, and then later on, I think three hours after the White House's official announcements had been made, I congratulated the members of the team," he continued.
Rubio said that the Hegseth's posts in the group chat was not classified nor did it at "any point threaten the operation of the lives of our servicemen," the information was "not intended to be divulged" and the White House was investigating the matter.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also called out Wall Street Journal's reporting. "@SteveWitkoff was provided a secure line of communication by the U.S. Government, and it was the only phone he had in his possession while in Moscow," she wrote on X. "If the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board cared about the truth, they could have reached out to our team for comment before running these lies. This is classic Fake News from an outlet clearly determined to knock Steve Witkoff, who is a great patriot working effectively on behalf of President Trump to secure world peace."
