Signalgate storm intensifies as journalist releases full secret Houthi airstrike chat
- Reference: 1743023792
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/03/26/signal_calls_congress/
- Source link:
Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg decided to go full disclosure Wednesday – withholding one message that outed by name a CIA operative in the field – after the White House attempted to play down the significance of the group's discussions.
As we [1]summarized Monday, the scribe was [2]mistakenly invited to a small private group on the encrypted chat app by the Trump administration's National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, allowing the magazine journo to observe chatter between VP JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, Waltz, and others.
[3]
The conversation focused on plans to hit Yemen-based Houthi insurgents with airstrikes on March 15; Goldberg was present in the group during the build up to the assault and the aftermath, and this week disclosed he witnessed on Signal what one would comfortably assume is highly classified military materials.
[4]
[5]
The editor then today [6]released a copy of that private conversation after Team Trump tried to claim his account of the security fiasco was wrong and that the details weren't classified or even that sensitive. Here are the highlights.
"Godspeed to our warriors. 1215 ET: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package) 1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME) — also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)," wrote Hegseth, who earlier said no war plans were discussed in the group.
We are currently clean on OPSEC — that is, operational security
"1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)," he continued. "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets). 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.
"We are currently clean on OPSEC — that is, operational security."
[7]
Good to know the actual times US military pilots take off for combat, and potentially put themselves in harm's way, are neither classified nor a war plan. Neither was the targeted assassination of a suspected missile designer for the Houthi rebels, who was visiting his girlfriend when the apartment block she lived in was leveled by the American airstrike.
"The first target - their top missile guy - we had a positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed," wrote Waltz.
"Excellent," replied Vance, to which Waltz responded with three emojis: A fist, an American flag, and a flame. President Trump's Ukraine and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who logged into the chat while physically in Russia, added emojis of his own: Two prayers, a pumped up bicep, and two American flags.
[8]
Vice President Vance also had some blunt opinions on what were once America's European allies. He said any airstrikes and the creation of safer shipping routes in the region as a result would benefit Europe more than America, claiming that three percent of US cargo passed through the Suez Canal compared to 40 percent of European goods.
I fully share your loathing of European free-loading
"I just hate bailing Europe out again," the VP wrote. "Let's just make sure our messaging is right here."
Hegseth also was not a fan of the continent. "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close," he wrote.
[9]Top Trump officials text secret Yemen airstrike plans to journo in Signal SNAFU
[10]100-plus spies fired after NSA internal chat board used for kinky sex talk
[11]Trump's cyber chief pick has little experience in The Cyber
[12]Court rules FISA Section 702 surveillance of US resident was unconstitutional
On Tuesday Waltz [13]went on Fox News and said either he had accidentally added Goldberg or there was some other explanation. But there is no other explanation: The Atlantic's coverage shows him inviting Goldberg into the group.
"We're going to get to the bottom of it," Waltz said. Then, referring to the President's éminence grease Elon Musk: "I talked to Elon on the way here; we've got the best technical minds looking at how this happened."
President Trump earlier remarked, "Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man," and added the affair was merely a "glitch."
[14]
MAGA queen ... Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, then serving as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve, at an election rally at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, in 2024
Private contact details – cellphone numbers, email addresses, and even some passwords – of Waltz, Gabbard, Hegseth and other top officials close to President Trump can be found on the internet, German mag Der Spiegel [15]reports today .
Secretary Hegseth is right now in Asia. In a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Gabbard said the Houthi Signal chat she was a member of did not contain classified info. On Wednesday she was [16]in front of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and when pressed on her characterization of the discussion the day before, she claimed she had "misremembered" its contents.
"My answer yesterday was based on my recollection, or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there," she waffled.
President Trump says he has full confidence in his cabinet. ®
PS: A 19-year-old member of Elon Musk's federal cost-cutting [17]DOGE unit , who had the online nickname Big Balls, once provided support to a cybercrime gang "that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent," Reuters [18]alleged Wednesday.
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/24/signal_atlantic_security_disaster/
[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cso&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z-SG-l889TeecXgYWLMDcgAAA1g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cso&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-SG-l889TeecXgYWLMDcgAAA1g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cso&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z-SG-l889TeecXgYWLMDcgAAA1g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/signal-group-chat-attack-plans-hegseth-goldberg/682176/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cso&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-SG-l889TeecXgYWLMDcgAAA1g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cso&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z-SG-l889TeecXgYWLMDcgAAA1g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/24/signal_atlantic_security_disaster/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/26/nsa_firings_intelink_chats/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/12/trump_cybersecurity_chief/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/24/section_702_court/
[13] https://x.com/atrupar/status/1904672066483237326
[14] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/03/26/shutterstock_gabbard.jpg
[15] https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/hegseth-waltz-gabbard-private-data-and-passwords-of-senior-u-s-security-officials-found-online-a-14221f90-e5c2-48e5-bc63-10b705521fb7
[16] https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=118033
[17] https://search.theregister.com/?q=DOGE
[18] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-staffer-big-balls-provided-tech-support-cybercrime-ring-records-show-2025-03-26/
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Does not compute ....
The problem is Trump has NO capacity to recognize 'TRUTH' as he thinks that only HIS brain can produce 'TRUTH' !!!
His brain cannot process anything that has not been 'invented' by Trumps own brain as 'TRUTH'.
Other peoples speech is not processed the same as Trumps own speech.
He talks and on hearing the 'obviously' genius level concepts he assigns them as TRUE because he 'heard it somewhere !!!'.
On hearing someone else he usually ignores the content and says something else that is 'obviously' genius.
This is why Trump talks over other people and usually does not react to questions 'normally' ... he 'does not/can not' hear them !!!
His narcissism is so extreme that 'you' do not count and he 'must' talk to compensate for your irrelevance !!!
Watch carefully and it is obvious !!!
His minions mirror this way of talking as it is so effective at 'blanking out' others and Trump can not see any problem with it.
Remember that cronies/minions tend to mirror the BOSS to keep on his/her good side !!!
:)
Re: Does not compute ....
Someone who's gentle and caring should definitely put this mad ministration terminally out of its constant self-inflicted misery, and chihuahuas, imho!
They're already
starting to describe the journalist in question as a far left radical democrat supporter.....
So I guess it wont be long until he's arrested and disappeared to a central americas jail.
And to think those folks charged with securing their nations secrets are all going "WTF!" at all this.
But will the republicans in congress/senate grow a spine and some balls.... somehow I doubt it
Re: They're already
It is good that the Biden admin never leaked anything.... oh...
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/19/politics/us-israel-iran-intelligence-documents/index.html
Re: They're already
"the Biden admin [also] leaked anything"
You are not a lesser fool because your neighbor is a fool too.
Two fools don't make a wise man, let alone a wise woman. Even this room full of fools did not together make up for a single wise person.
Re: They're already
That's about as bad a form of whatabouterism as blaming the journalist for being included in this chat group :).
It's quite a list by now:
1 - use of unauthorised and clearly not well shielded messaging (even in basic Threema for Work you can specify that it should not exchange messages outside the company or group);
2 - not verifying audience before exchanging highly classified information
3 - lying about the gravity
4 - desperately trying to blame the messenger
Hypocrites, the lot of them. Oh yes, I do expect a lot of BS to be poured over this story by assorted spokesliars but that doesn't change the facts.
Expect Musk or Trump doing something dramatic soon to get this out of the headlines.
Re: They're already
Come on Trumpy AC, tell us how the President of Peace is dropping birthday cakes for the poor fucks in Yemen after successfully negotiating the surrender of Afghanistan and his efforts in Ukraine (if only that little jew-- JERK of a President Zelensky would stop resisting), and his successful ceasefire (an administration record of ONE WHOLE MONTH!) he negotiated in Gaza.
He's so fucking good at this peace thing, the Canadians are raging at him in jealousy because his efforts to turn Canada Nice into American Nice is working.
"We're going to get to the bottom of it," Waltz said
I'd have thought it's pretty simple Mr Waltz; you're an incompetent fuckwit who typed the wrong phone number in, didn't validate the number, didn't validate the identity of the person you added, and then added them to a group you created, where sensitive information was shared using an app that wasn't cleared for that purpose.
There's no technological fuck-up here, it's entirely a human one, and you don't need Elon or his incel buddies to figure that out.
Of course, the sloping-shoulders gaslighting MO of MAGA is firmly at play here already. There won't be any meaningful consequences for anyone involved. Possibly apart from the journalist who may end up having an unfortunate Final-Destination-esque "accident" at some point in the next few months.
I'm still waiting...
for someone in the states to admit to a resonance cascade, then Gordon will appear to save us all and show he's Canadian.
The repugnicants are definitely proving they are from Xen.
Re: I'm still waiting...
Black Mesa Research Facility was woke.
A government research facility that maintains a staff of people that can spell words longer than four letters, and it wasn't totally run down and privatized (before the game)? Perfect DOGE target.
I cannot see how bombing the Houthis helps
It will only make things worse in the region. It is the sort of logic embraced by Netanyahu and we can all see how successful that has been.
Re: I cannot see how bombing the Houthis helps
It helps Musk ship Teslas from China to Europe via Suez.
Re: I cannot see how bombing the Houthis helps
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
So Hillary runs an email server shares no classified information and it is lock her up heard for years going on for a decade now at least. The Secretary of Defense shares actual information that if it had been leaked would have resulted in the deaths of many Americans. Then the Repugnant Party and its Extortionist in Chief has the audacity to claim it is not classified, boys will be boys, mistakes happen, move along nothing to see here. As if any more proof was every needed that all of them traitors need to be out of office and in jail cells. I have no idea what it will take to get it done with them spineless Democrats being totally useless for their elected purpose. They they seem to have grown a pair on this issue perhaps it might wake them up and get them fighting to try and save their country. I doubt it though they will soon be back to being spineless, it seems to be their natural way of doing things...
"So Hillary runs an email server shares no classified information"
False.
https://www.factcheck.org/2016/07/clintons-handling-of-classified-information/
Pegasus Anyone?
Suppose any of the participants in the Signal communication were ALSO compromised with NSO/Pegasus malware.
The DECRYPTED Signal messages would be available to whoever dropped Pegasus on the end point.
And of course we have seen often in the past that friends often snoop on friends (see Stalin, North Korea, Senator McCarthy......)...............
..........so both friends and enemies might just be reading everything from inside the Pentagon.
No.....I'm really NOT PARANOID ENOUGH..........
For more details: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/signal-app-used-hegseth-can-leave-door-open-hackers-rcna197956
Re: Pegasus Anyone?
They say all the European Fascist dictators were mediocre as leaders. They were shrewd, and could play the crowds, but nothing above the average in any other respect.
The US is special. This would-be fascist US administration is run by people who are incompetent beyond comprehension.
People are looking for some "master mind" behind the scenes, some master plan. But wherever one looks, there is only ignorance, incompetence, and chaos.
Confessed War Crimes
> "The first target - their top missile guy - we had a positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed," wrote Waltz.
So US officials admit to targeting and bombing a civilian residential building with who-knows how many families and at least one civilian woman who is probably a civilian non-combatant.
When will these people be brought up on war crimes? When will they be detained in the next foreign country that they visit, and brought before a court?
Oh. Right. They won't be.
But why does every country hate 'Murrica, again?
Re: Confessed War Crimes
Yes. And by US logic, seeing as a whole building full of innocents was intentionally collapsed, does that justify the Houthis invading Canada?
Prayers or High Five?
I could never tell... I also heard it was Thank You.
However, emojis in government communications? Is there an adult in the room? Shouldn't there be handlers handling this?
In other news, I read Signal is installed on all US Gov't issued phones. Raise your hand if this throws up a red flag? Both of mine are already up.
So much for "not discussing secret or top secret information."
But its no surprise the Trump administration is full of shit on the issue; they usually are! They're so ill-acquainted with the truth they can't even recognize it...