Chat leak: How the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg ended up in a White House Signal group

A simple phone contact error by US national security adviser Mike Waltz led to a journalist being accidentally added to a private Signal group chat discussing potential US military strikes in Yemen, according to people familiar with the matter.

The group chat, created last month and titled "Houthi PC small group," was meant for senior US officials coordinating a response to Houthi rebel actions in the Middle East. However, instead of adding national security council spokesperson Brian Hughes, Waltz mistakenly added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, according to a report from The Guardian. Goldberg is a journalist critical of US President Donald Trump.

How the Goldberg ended up in Signal group

The error traced back to an incident during the 2024 election campaign. In October, Goldberg had emailed the Trump campaign for comment on a story critical of Trump's attitude toward wounded US service members. The email, which included Goldberg's signature block and phone number, was forwarded internally to Waltz by Hughes as part of briefing preparations. While Waltz never contacted Goldberg, his iPhone appears to have automatically saved the journalist's number under Hughes' name, thanks to a common contact suggestion feature on Apple devices.

This digital mix-up remained unnoticed until March 13, when Waltz set up the Signal group chat with officials discussing sensitive military plans. Believing he was adding Hughes, Waltz unknowingly added Goldberg's number to the encrypted message thread.

Once discovered, the mistake triggered an internal White House investigation and a forensic review by the information technology office. Officials confirmed the issue stemmed from how iPhones sometimes merge contact information based on previous interactions, even if brief or indirect.

While the situation raised eyebrows, particularly over the use of Signal for classified discussions, it did not lead to the leak of any national security information. The White House had authorised Signal as a temporary communication platform due to the absence of a secure alternative for real-time messaging across agencies.

Trump was furious at first

Sources said US President Donald Trump was furious at first, not over the security lapse, but over the fact that Waltz had Goldberg's number saved on his phone. Trump reportedly considered firing Waltz but ultimately decided against it, partly to avoid giving The Atlantic or the media a perceived victory so early into his second term. He was also satisfied with the explanation provided in the internal review.

Waltz later said he had never spoken to Goldberg and suggested on Fox News that the journalist's number had been "sucked" into his phone, referring to the iPhone's auto-save feature. Goldberg, when reached for comment, said, "I'm not going to comment on my relationship with Mike Waltz beyond saying I do know him and have spoken to him."