A stunning exposé by The Atlantic has unveiled that Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief, shared classified U.S. military plans in a Signal group chat that astonishingly included a journalist—raising urgent concerns about national security and internal discipline among Trump-era officials.
The chat reportedly began on March 13 and involved senior members of Trump’s Cabinet discussing potential military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Among the group’s participants was Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just one day later publicly condemned any unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
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“Any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such,” Gabbard posted on X (formerly Twitter) on March 14. That post, now under scrutiny, was highlighted by The Bulwark’s Sam Stein, who matched the timing of Gabbard’s public statement to her participation in the Signal conversation. “Goldberg says the Signal group chat started on March 13.
Gabbard appeared to write in that chat minutes later. Gabbard sent this tweet the next day. The Houthi strikes happened two days later,” Stein wrote. Shane Harris, a national security reporter for The Atlantic, expressed his astonishment: “In 25 years of covering national security, I’ve never seen a story like this: Senior Trump officials discussed planning for the U.S. attack on the Houthis in a Signal group–and inadvertently added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.”
The leak has drawn bipartisan criticism and calls for accountability. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) reposted Gabbard’s own words, adding, “By the Trump admin’s own ‘standards’ everyone on this chain would lose their access to classified info and be subject to criminal investigation.”
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National security analyst Marcy Wheeler added, “Wow, @TulsiGabbard. And you were a witness to just such an unauthorized release. Gonna make a compelling trial.” Former GOP Congressman Joe Walsh didn’t mince words about the implications for global trust. “I’ll say what I’ve been saying for 2 months now: If I were one of America’s allies, no way would I share intelligence with America.
I’ve always said that [because] I believe Tulsi Gabbard & Donald Trump are siding with Russia. This s— today only reinforces what I’ve been saying.” The fallout from the leak has only just begun, with experts and lawmakers calling for further investigation.
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