Trump adviser accidentally adds journalist to confidential Signal chat group

A mix-up in phone contacts led to a journalist being added to a private Signal group chat intended for senior Trump administration officials, sources have revealed.

Brian Hughes, a key national security spokesman for US President Donald Trump, was the intended recipient of the invitation to join the chat, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

However, due to a phone error, Jeff Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added instead, according to multiple sources familiar with the incident.

The confusion reportedly began last autumn when National Security Adviser Mike Waltz received a message from Hughes and was prompted by his phone to save a new contact. The number, however, was mistakenly linked to Goldberg, sources said.

On March 24, Goldberg reported on his inclusion in the chat, which appeared to involve senior Trump officials discussing military operations, including airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The administration later confirmed the authenticity of the chat.

An internal review by the White House IT team followed the revelation, with President Trump and other senior officials briefed on the findings last week. The investigation found no previous communication between Goldberg and Waltz or Hughes before an email sent by Goldberg to the Trump campaign in October.

In the email, Goldberg had inquired about a story involving Trump and the military. In response, campaign officials sought to involve military veterans, including Waltz. Following discussions with campaign aide Steven Cheung, Hughes forwarded Goldberg's email, which included his contact details, to Waltz. Waltz’s phone then automatically saved Goldberg’s number as “Brian Hughes.”

This led to Waltz mistakenly inviting Goldberg to the Signal chat when attempting to add Hughes. The app, recognising the number as Goldberg’s, labelled him as “JG,” though this went unnoticed by those in the group.

It wasn’t until The Atlantic contacted the White House for comment just before their story was published that the administration became aware of Goldberg's unintended inclusion.

A request for comment from White House spokespeople on March 6 went unanswered.

By Aghakazim Guliyev