U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched fiercely into the Atlantic on Wednesday for continuing to claim war plans were mistakenly shared on Signal with the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
“So, let’s me get this straight,” Hegseth posted on X.
“The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information.
“Those are some really sh*tty war plans.
“This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an ‘attack plan’ (as he now calls it). Not even close.
“As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting w/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL ‘war plans’) and talking to troops.
“We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also jumped into the fray Wednesday, saying: “The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans.’
“This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.”
The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT “war plans.”
This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin. pic.twitter.com/atGrDd2ymr
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 26, 2025
PRIMETIME EXCLUSIVE: @KarolineLeavitt says @realDonaldTrump is fully confident in his National Security team. pic.twitter.com/EulCseWPiZ
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) March 26, 2025
Anna Bross, senior vice president for communications at the Atlantic, released a statement from the publication Wednesday, indicating:
“Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Our journalists are continuing to fearlessly and independently report the truth in the public interest.”
Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans. pic.twitter.com/Lj4ng0Hy6n
— Anna Bross (@AnnaCBross) March 25, 2025
Well well well. The Atlantic labeled Signal the “gold standard of encrypted messaging” back in 2017. pic.twitter.com/TEEEMoiADZ
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 26, 2025
JUST IN: Editor in chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg has released more “war plan” messages from the Signal chat. pic.twitter.com/RD8xP8F1LY
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 26, 2025
If The Atlantic is claiming the “attack plans” they printed were indeed “classified information,” they just knowingly released classified information to unauthorized persons!
The ONLY way they did not just violate the Espionage Act of 1917 is if the texts are NOT classified! pic.twitter.com/Nfg9uqaJri
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) March 26, 2025
CIA Director John Ratcliffe just destroyed The Atlantic for blatantly making things up.
“The reporter indicated that I had released the name of another country – of an undercover CIA operative.”
“In fact, I released the name of my chief of staff who is not operating… pic.twitter.com/jOEmj3KCQ2
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) March 26, 2025
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