Hegseth Denies Texting War Plans
The Defense secretary criticized the journalist who was inadvertently included in a Signal chat with national security officials, yet did not contest the chat's existence.
TroibNews 
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied any wrongdoing regarding the handling of classified information, asserting that “nobody was texting war plans” in a Signal chat involving top Trump administration officials, which was made public on Monday by a journalist who was mistakenly included in the discussion.
Hegseth aimed to undermine Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, after Goldberg's revealing article detailed how he became part of a conversation in a secure app where Hegseth discussed airstrike targets on Yemen-based Houthi fighters.
“You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes,” Hegseth remarked in an unusually irate tone regarding Goldberg, who is regarded as a reputable Washington journalist and editor. “This is a guy who peddles in garbage.”
Speaking upon his arrival in Hawaii for a weeklong trip to Asia, the secretary did not dispute the existence of the chat, which may have contravened a federal law concerning the handling of sensitive information. The discussion included Vice President JD Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes appeared to contradict Hegseth’s assertions later that night by confirming the chat’s existence and refraining from denying its content.
“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes stated.
The chat, initiated by Waltz prior to this month’s bombing campaign against the Iran-backed group, outlined the Trump administration’s strategy regarding potential airstrikes on the Houthis, who have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The information Hegseth shared likely contained classified data, escalating the seriousness of the situation. White House officials were reportedly questioning Waltz’s future role in the administration that same evening, according to a PMG report.
Defense officials expressed shock at the disclosures, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell did not respond to inquiries for comment.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, remarked that the “story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
Hegseth aimed to undermine Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, after Goldberg's revealing article detailed how he became part of a conversation in a secure app where Hegseth discussed airstrike targets on Yemen-based Houthi fighters.
“You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes,” Hegseth remarked in an unusually irate tone regarding Goldberg, who is regarded as a reputable Washington journalist and editor. “This is a guy who peddles in garbage.”
Speaking upon his arrival in Hawaii for a weeklong trip to Asia, the secretary did not dispute the existence of the chat, which may have contravened a federal law concerning the handling of sensitive information. The discussion included Vice President JD Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes appeared to contradict Hegseth’s assertions later that night by confirming the chat’s existence and refraining from denying its content.
“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes stated.
The chat, initiated by Waltz prior to this month’s bombing campaign against the Iran-backed group, outlined the Trump administration’s strategy regarding potential airstrikes on the Houthis, who have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The information Hegseth shared likely contained classified data, escalating the seriousness of the situation. White House officials were reportedly questioning Waltz’s future role in the administration that same evening, according to a PMG report.
Defense officials expressed shock at the disclosures, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell did not respond to inquiries for comment.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, remarked that the “story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
