Indian American lawmakers have condemned the Trump Administration after reports surfaced that a journalist was mistakenly included in an encrypted chat discussing U.S. military plans for strikes in Yemen. The US lawmakers are demanding accountability from intelligence agencies following the disclosure.
In a March 24th report by The Atlantic, Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he was unexpectedly added to a Signal group chat named “Houthi PC small group” on March 13, 2025. Shortly after his inclusion, the U.S. launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
“The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen,” Goldberg wrote in his report. “I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.”
The revelation has prompted swift backlash from lawmakers and intelligence officials. Trump Administration’s top Intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, are set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 25th on the 2025’s annual threat assessment. Both Gabbard and Ratcliffe who were included in the chat, will brief the Intelligence committee regarding the security breach
Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kash Patel and others are also testifying at the hearing.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China, expressed alarm over the situation.
“I am deeply concerned— as we all should be— that the Trump Administration carelessly sent detailed military plans for an attack on Yemen directly to a journalist,” Krishnamoorthi said adding such “flagrant” disregard for national security raises serious concerns about how often this administration puts the country at risk.
“As a senior Member of the Intelligence Committee, I will be demanding a full accounting from the relevant agencies and Trump Administration officials to determine how these potentially deadly errors occurred and to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place moving forward,” Krishnamoorthi said vowing to press for answers. “Our national security must never be compromised by carelessness or incompetence. Those responsible must be held accountable.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal called the incident “staggering” and “dangerous.” She criticized National Security Advisor Mike Waltz for allegedly creating a group chat with high-ranking officials, including the Vice President, Secretary of State, and Director of National Intelligence, to discuss military secrets, only to “accidentally” invite a journalist without anyone noticing.
“And these are the people running the country?” she asked.
Rep. Shri Thanedar added, “The Trump administration accidentally leaked classified war plans in an unsecured group chat. This administration’s incompetence knows no bounds.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam sarcastically quipped, “Next, they’ll be sliding into your DMs with nuclear launch codes.”
When asked about the leak during a press interaction at the White House on March 24th, President Trump dismissed concerns, insisting he runs “a very tight ship, the tightest.”
“You think Biden runs a tight ship?” Trump retorted. “People are saying we’re doing things no one’s ever seen before. So, if there were texts, maybe they were great texts. Perfect texts.”
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Spokesperson for the National Security Council Brian Hughes said commenting on the leak. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”
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