White House Denies Security Breach in Yemen Strike Chat with Journalist

On Tuesday, the White House clarified that no secret information was shared in a chat among high-ranking officials about attacks on Yemen. Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated, “No war plans were discussed,” and “No classified material was sent to the thread.”

An editor from The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, claimed he was mistakenly added to a group chat where top U.S. officials discussed strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. He said he learned about the strikes hours before they were announced on March 15. The chat included U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.

Some leading Democrats quickly criticized the incident, labeling it as a serious security risk and demanding an investigation into how it occurred.

Leavitt mentioned that the White House Counsel’s Office is working on guidelines to help the top officials communicate more safely. She also called out Goldberg, saying he is known for sensational reporting.

Leavitt added, “Thanks to President Trump’s strong leadership, the strikes on the Houthis were successful, killing terrorists, which is our priority.”

In response to the situation, Trump told reporters he had no knowledge of it, saying, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic.”

Goldberg explained that he was unexpectedly invited to an encrypted chat on March 13 called “Houthi PC small group.” He claimed that hours before the military strikes on March 15, Defense Secretary Hegseth shared details about the plan, including what targets to hit and what weapons to use.

He also noted that officials in the group talked about whether the U.S. should go ahead with the strikes, with Vance questioning if U.S. allies in Europe, who rely on shipping in that area, deserved assistance.