Explain what happened recently with the Trump cabinet about the Houthi phone call. why was it inappropriate, and who lied?
ChatGPT said:
In March 2025, a significant security breach occurred within the Trump administration involving the inadvertent inclusion of journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a Signal group chat where senior officials were discussing top-secret military plans for strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. New York Post+21The Guardian+21Wikipedia+21
What Happened: National Security Adviser Mike Waltz created a Signal group chat named “Houthi PC small group,” intended for high-level discussions on the planned military operations. Members of this group included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Due to an apparent error, Jeffrey Goldberg was added to this chat and subsequently received detailed information about the impending strikes. Al Jazeera+11New York Post+11Business Insider+11Al Jazeera+8Politico+8Business Insider+8Foreign Policy+7news+7www.israelhayom.com+7
Why It Was Inappropriate: The use of a commercial messaging app like Signal for discussing highly classified military operations is considered a severe lapse in operational security. Such sensitive communications are typically conducted through secure, government-approved channels to prevent unauthorized access and potential leaks. The accidental inclusion of a journalist in these discussions not only compromised the confidentiality of the military plans but also raised concerns about the administration’s handling of classified information. www.israelhayom.com+11news+11The Guardian+11Al Jazeera+5The Guardian+5PBS: Public Broadcasting Service+5
Responses and Allegations of Misrepresentation: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that war plans were texted, stating, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” However, this claim was contradicted by the content of the messages reported by Goldberg, which included specific operational details. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accepted full responsibility for the mishap, describing it as “embarrassing” and asserting that the White House was investigating the technical error. President Trump downplayed the incident, referring to it as a minor glitch and expressing continued support for Waltz. Al Jazeera+9Wikipedia+9The Guardian+9Foreign Policy+2www.israelhayom.com+2New York Post+2Wikipedia+5New York Post+5New York Post+5New York Post+2New York Post+2AP News+2
This incident has prompted bipartisan concern, with calls for thorough investigations into the breach and the administration’s communication practices regarding sensitive information. AP News+5The Guardian+5The Guardian+5
Reactions and Investigations Following the Signal Chat Leak
‘Remarkable sloppiness’: Trump officials’ chat breach shakes Washington
YesterdayThe GuardianNational security council investigating after Trump officials accidentally text journalist top-secret Yemen war plans – as it happenedYesterdayNew York PostNational security adviser Mike Waltz takes ‘full responsibility’ for ’embarrassing’ Signal leak – claims he’s unaware how ‘vile’ Atlantic editor’s info got ‘sucked into’ his phoneToday
Sources
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You said:
Did Tulsi Gabbard contradict herself at the congressional hearing about the phone call?
ChatGPT said:
Tulsi Gabbard’s testimony during the congressional hearing did raise eyebrows for seeming inconsistent. Initially, when asked about her involvement in the Signal group chat discussing military plans against the Houthis, she avoided confirming whether she had participated—citing that the matter was under review by the National Security Council. Later, however, she stated firmly that no classified information had been shared in the chat. This back-and-forth—especially when pressed by senators about details like the discussion of targets—led many lawmakers to view her statements as contradictory. In essence, while she maintained that nothing sensitive was revealed, her reluctance to confirm basic details (such as her presence on the chat or the nature of the discussion) appeared to undermine the clarity of her testimony.
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