'Not a serious glitch; he learnt a lesson': Trump defends NSA Michael Waltz after highly classified chat leaked to Atlantic journalist

US President Donald Trump dismissed a security breach involving a journalist being mistakenly added to a sensitive government group chat as a mere "glitch" and defended his National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

The breach, which occurred over discussions related to airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, has attracted significant attention and criticism, with the White House under mounting pressure following a report by The Atlantic.

In a phone interview with NBC on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the severity of the incident, describing it as "the only glitch in two months" and claiming that the breach turned out not to be serious.


"Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man," Trump added, standing by his top security official despite the controversy.

An Editor-in-Chief & a classified US admin group

The breach occurred when The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally added to a private group chat about the Yemen airstrikes.The conversation, conducted via the encrypted messaging app Signal, involved several high-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

Trump explained that the incident was caused by a staffer mistakenly adding Goldberg's number to the chat. "It was one of Michael’s people on the phone.

A staffer had his number on there," he said.

The White House later confirmed the breach, but Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to downplay its significance, stating that "no 'war plans' were discussed" and no classified information was leaked. Leavitt also criticized Goldberg, accusing him of being "well-known for his sensationalist spin."

Trump team's plan to strike Yemen's Houthis

The Signal chat was meant to discuss airstrikes against the Houthi rebels, who have long been involved in Yemen's ongoing civil war.

Goldberg revealed that he had received a connection request from someone identified as "Michael Waltz" and was subsequently added to the chat. In the messages, senior officials discussed the logistics and timing of the strikes, which were publicly announced by Trump on March 15.

Despite the breach, no sensitive information was leaked, as Goldberg did not publicize any details in advance of the strikes. However, the chat did reveal candid opinions from top officials, with Vance expressing frustration about "bailing Europe out again," given that European nations were more directly impacted by the Houthi's attacks on shipping lanes than the United States. Hegseth and Waltz echoed similar sentiments, with Waltz describing European allies as "pathetic" and voicing his dissatisfaction with their reliance on US support.

The breach, however, sparked concerns among lawmakers and critics, especially regarding the use of a commercially available app for such sensitive discussions. Some top Democrats have called for an investigation into why government officials were using Signal, a platform not specifically designed for government communication.

The Atlantic report and Goldberg's role

Goldberg's Atlantic report, published Monday, provided the public with an inside look into the conversations of some of the nation's top security officials.

The leak could have been highly damaging if Goldberg had chosen to publicise the details in advance. However, he refrained from doing so, which likely prevented a greater crisis.

The Atlantic editor's accidental addition to the group chat has raised questions about the security of communications in the Trump administration, prompting a further examination of how officials use various platforms for sensitive discussions.

While the White House continues to investigate how Goldberg’s number ended up in the chat, the incident reveals the growing challenges of maintaining confidentiality in an era where digital communication plays a critical role in government operations.

(With inputs from AFP)