The Atlantic published additional text messages from the Signal group chat that its Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to accidentally last week.
The report included screenshots of the messages that Goldberg found himself receiving by mistake and refuted the claim from President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that war plans were not discussed on the chain.
In one messages published by The Atlantic, Hegseth shared operational details about the strikes.
“Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch,” Hegseth wrote.
While those who were in the group chat have maintained that the information was not classified, Hegseth could be seen in the screenshots detailing the U.S.’s attack plans against the Houthi targets in Yemen, according to The Atlantic.
The messages included a timeline from Hegseth detailing what would happen and when:
— “1215et: 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)”
— “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
— “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.”
The Atlantic reported that the information was received by Goldberg “two hours before the scheduled start of the bombing of Houthi positions.”
“If this information—particularly the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen—had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face,” the latest report from The Atlantic said.
During an interview with MSNBC, Goldberg said that there was some information that they decided to keep out of the article.
“We did redact one piece of information because we felt, on our own, that we felt it was best to do. And the CIA asked us, but, you know, at a certain point, the administration is saying that there’s nothing classified or secret or sensitive in these, so at a certain point, I just felt, you know, let our readers decide for themselves,” he said.
This was echoed by Goldberg and The Atlantic’s Shane Harris, who co-wrote the latest article, in statements about the denial and discrediting from the Trump administration. The statements noted that the sentiment has “led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions.”
“There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared,” they added.
National security adviser Mike Waltz has said that he’s accepted “full responsibility” for creating the group chat.
“It’s embarrassing,” Waltz said on Fox News, adding, “we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
"The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans,'" White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared about the latest article. "This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."