‘Houthi PC small group’: Top Trump administration officials ‘accidentally’ share Yemen war plans with journalist

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.

The journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, discovered he had been added to a Signal group called “Houthi PC Small Group” alongside 18 senior Trump administration 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 insisting 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.”

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 journalist, 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 mistake occurred—and whether it could happen again.