When someone is accidentally added to a group chat, it can be awkward. But when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic is mistakenly added to a chat where top officials discuss upcoming U.S. military strikes on Yemen — that is no longer a mistake. It is a national disgrace.
And when the person blamed isn’t the one who violated national security protocols, but rather the journalist who never asked to be added — this becomes a systemic diagnosis of power.
What happened?
On March 11, Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic‘s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group.”
This was not some logistical coordination group — the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was sharing exact target coordinates, strike timings, and weapon types. Others in the group included Stephen Miller, Steve Witkoff, and more — all discussing real-time combat operations that began on March 15.
Just two hours after one of Hegseth’s final messages, the strikes began. According to Houthi reports, over 50 civilians were killed in the opening day of U.S. attacks.
A few days later, it was revealed that the same chat also included financial planning. Stephen Miller and Waltz were discussing how to shift the costs of the military operation onto European allies — under the justification that “they’ll benefit anyway.” This wasn’t just military strategy anymore. It was war as business — a cynical attempt to reframe conflict as a profitable transaction.
And who’s to blame? Of course — the journalist.
In any functioning democracy, this would lead to:
- immediate resignations of those responsible,
- criminal investigations into mishandling classified information,
- congressional hearings under oath,
- and harsh international backlash.
But not in Trump’s America.
In Trump’s America, the journalist is the traitor.
Goldberg — who didn’t even open the chat at first, then responsibly reported what he saw — is now labeled a “liar,” “fraud,” and “disgraced author.”
Trump declares: “He’s lying.”
Elon Musk joins the smear, calling Goldberg a “pathological liar” on X (formerly Twitter). And just like that, a national security breach is swept under the rug with a tweet and a deflection.
No legal case. No courtroom. No congressional oversight. No accountability.
Leaked military plans? No problem — just blame “the enemy.”
This is Trumpism in a nutshell.
Facts don’t matter. Security doesn’t matter. Lives and reputation don’t matter.
Only the optics matter. It only matters that you look like “the guy under siege.”
Caught red-handed? Blame the witness.
This isn’t a blunder. This is a diagnosis.
If you:
- add a random person to a military ops chat,
- discuss bombing coordinates publicly,
- get exposed by a journalist,
- and then turn around and smear the reporter,
You are not a leader. You are a threat to governance.
Such individuals should be removed, tried, and permanently banned from holding any influence.
This is not a slip-up. It’s a criminal case.
Every message in that chat must be examined in court. Every participant questioned under oath. Every excuse documented as evidence of evasion.
Consequences for the world
When one of the world’s largest militaries operates like this — through Signal chats, careless leadership, and performative deflection — it threatens more than Yemen or press freedom. It endangers global stability.
And when a leader refuses responsibility, always blames others, and surrounds himself with the same — the message is clear:
This isn’t an exception. It’s the new rule.
Conclusion: What must be done?
Demand investigation.
Speak loudly.
Document, expose, and publish.
Don’t allow this to be overshadowed by the next fabricated scandal.