Bombs in the group chat: How a signal history is shaking up the White House
What was intended as "quick communication" has now turned out to be a highly dangerous security fail. An internal group chat on the encrypted messenger Signal has brought confidential military information to light - and plunged the US government into a scandal. Responsible: high-ranking members of the government, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Vice President JD Vance - and presumably US President Donald Trump himself.
Explosive: a journalist was inadvertently part of the chat - and published what happened. The incident has now become a case for the judiciary, a test for national security and an acid test for the government's credibility.
Sensitive data in the chat - and a journalist in the middle of it all
The revelation comes from the US magazine The Atlantic, of all places, which has already come under pressure in the past for its Trump-critical reporting. This time, however, the chat history speaks for itself: weather data, flight routes, drone missions and the timing of a US military attack on the Houthi militia in Yemen - all documented in a group chat. And right in the middle of it all: editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
He is said to have gotten into the highly confidential Signal chat through a simple mistake - possibly through an incorrectly saved contact. A security vulnerability that, according to insiders, could have "put American personnel in grave danger", as The Atlantic reports.
Trump calls it a "witch hunt", but the pressure is growing
Donald Trump himself is trying to calm the waves. The scandal was exaggerated, he said, and the media was blowing everything out of proportion. He backed up his defense secretary to reporters: "Hegseth is doing a great job." Security advisor Waltz also rebuked - no locations, no sources, no war plans had been revealed.
In the meantime, even US Federal District Judge James Boasberg is looking into the case - the judge who most recently put the brakes on Trump's deportation policy and was promptly labeled an "enemy of the people". Boasberg will now examine whether the automatic deletion of the Signal messages constitutes a breach of the government's documentation obligations.
Musk gets involved - signal to be investigated
An unexpected twist: according to the White House, Elon Musk was involved in the investigation. His technology experts are to investigate how the journalist's number was able to get into the chat in the first place. It is not yet clear whether the Signal app itself is showing weaknesses or whether human error is behind this. Musk's role in the investigation raises additional questions - particularly in relation to privacy, security and political influence by tech companies.
Republicans divided - first criticism from within their own ranks
The first Republicans are breaking their silence - at least cautiously. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a "grave mistake" in involving the journalist. Others, such as intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard and military intelligence director Jeffrey Kruse, conceded that there must be more secure ways to communicate.
Communication breakdown or dangerous negligence?
What began as a messenger chat between confidants has become a stress test for Trump's government. Confidential military information, a journalist involved, a tech billionaire as crisis manager - it's all more reminiscent of an espionage thriller than everyday government life.
It is still unclear whether legal consequences will follow. What is clear, however, is that the handling of sensitive information is under scrutiny. And the question remains: If even a group chat becomes a security vulnerability - how secure is the security policy of the USA?
