U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said it was “extremely troubling” that senior officials under President Donald Trump texted about war plans in a group chat that inadvertently included a journalist who wrote about the episode in a shocking report Monday.
The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote the story that went up Monday afternoon, starting it by describing how the world learned March 15 the U.S. was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen but that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “had texted me the war plan” two hours before the first bombs fell, including precise information about weapons, targets and timing.
Goldberg was added without explanation to a text group on the encrypted Signal messaging platform that appeared to include various high-ranking officials, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz.
The officials debated and discussed various sensitive details about a plan to bomb Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Yemeni media and other news outlets reported last week that the initial U.S. strikes killed more than 50 people, including children, and injured nearly 100 others.
Trump denied knowing “anything about it” Monday, but the White House confirmed Goldberg was apparently in “an authentic message chain” and said it was reviewing “how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.” National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes also described the texts as “deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.”
Collins, the only Republican in Maine’s delegation, said in Washington that the episode was “an extremely troubling and serious matter,” according to a Huffington Post reporter.
“If a service member acted this carelessly with such sensitive information they would face serious consequences, including the potential loss of security clearance, court martial or discharge,” U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd District and a Marine veteran, said in a statement. “These officials should be held to the same high standard.”
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine’s 1st District, said Monday she was “absolutely stunned by the staggering incompetence and jaw-dropping recklessness revealed in this reporting.” She also called for a probe into how Trump’s administration communicates classified information, saying national security “is not a game.”
“American lives — and our credibility on the global stage — are on the line,” the Democrat said. “This level of carelessness from the highest levels of government should alarm every American, regardless of political party.”
The office of U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, declined comment Monday.
Democratic members of Congress swiftly criticized the revelations as an example of irresponsible behavior among Trump administration officials, several of whom had gone after former President Joe Biden’s administration for how it handled classified documents and security breaches.
Several Republicans also expressed displeasure, though House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he doesn’t believe Hegseth or others should be disciplined.
The details in the Atlantic piece may have also revealed violations of federal record-keeping laws among the officials, as the Signal messages were set to automatically delete in under four weeks. It is also illegal to transmit or lose national defense information.