How US officials add journalist by mistake to group chat about Yemen strike

Di Trump administration dey face criticism afta di White House confirm say dem bin add one journalist by mistake to a group chat wia US national security officials dey plan military strike for Yemen.

Jeffrey Goldberg, wey be di Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic magazine report say dem add am for one group chat on 'Signal', wia di US Vice-President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also dey.

E tok say im see classified military plans for di airstrikes wey di US military bin carry out against di Houthi rebels for Yemen, including weapons packages, targets and timing, two hours bifor di strikes happen.

Di report don cause plenty criticism from di opposition Democrats and concerns among several Republicans.

Critics call for investigation

Goldberg say e fit be by accident dem take add am to di group, and di pesin wey send am di request na pesin wey appear to be di White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.

"Dem bin dey hand out information wey I believe say e fit put di lives of American service pipo wey bin dey involve for dat operation in danger," Goldberg tok for one interview.

President Donald Trump tell tori pipo on Monday say im no dey aware of di Atlantic article.

"Di attacks on di Houthis dey highly successful and effective," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tok for one statement.

"President Trump still get big confidence for im national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz."

Di defence secretary Pete Hegseth also defend di military operation wey dem bin dey discuss for di group chat and say e dey successful.

Hegseth criticise Goldberg and call am a "deceitful and highly discredited" journalist and e no gree ansa kwesions about di content of di messages.

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, wey be Republican, say di breach na mistake, but e tok say di chat show "top level officials wey dey do dia jobs and dey do am well".

Democratic lawmakers dey demand for investigation, as dem tok say di incident na national security scandal.

"Dis na one of di most stunning breaches of military intelligence wey I don ever read about in a very, very long time," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tok.

Chairman of di Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, say im panel dey plan to investigate di matter.

Vance disagree wit Trump

Atlantic editor-in-chief Goldberg write for im article say e bin receive a connection request on 11 March on top di encrypted messaging app Signal from one account wey look like e belong to Waltz.

Goldberg say dem later add am to one chat wey im name na "Houthi PC small group".

E bin tink say di messages for di chat fit be fake until four days later, Saturday 15 March, wen e dey for one supermarket car park, dey watch Signal communications about a strike.

Wen e check X for updates about Yemen, e say e shock to see reports of explosions for di capital city of Sanaa.

One Houthi official bin post on X say 53 pipo bin die for di US air strikes.

Signal na normally wetin journalists and Washington officials dey use bicos di communications dey secure, and pesin fit create alias and also send disappearing messages.

Some accounts wey appear to belong to cabinet members and national security officials bin dey included for di 18-person chat, Goldberg tok.

Names like "JD Vance", di name of di vice-president; "Pete Hegseth," di defence secretary; and "John Ratcliffe," director of di Central Intelligence Agency; na some of di names for di chain.

Top national security officials from various agencies also dey dia, including Tulsi Gabbard, di director of national intelligence, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At one point during di communications over di strikes, di account wey get di name "JD Vance" be like say e disagree wit Trump, Goldberg tok.

"I no sure say di president dey aware how inconsistent dis dey wit im message on Europe right now," di Vance account bin write at approximately 8:15 on 14 March.

"Further risk dey say we fit see a moderate to severe spike for oil prices.

"I dey willing to support di consensus of di team and keep dis concerns to myself.

"But strong argument dey make wey delay dis for a month, doing di messaging work on why dis matter, seeing wia di economy dey, etc."

For one statement to di BBC on Monday, Vance tok-tok pesin William Martin say di vice-president "dey support dis administration foreign policy unequivocally".

"Di president and di vice-president get conversations about dis matter and dem dey in complete agreement," Martin tok.

Di National Security Council confirm much of wetin di Atlantic report bin tok.

Tok-tok pesin Brian Hughes tell di BBC: "At dis time, e be like say di message thread wey dem report dey authentic. We dey review how dem take add dis number by mistake.

"Di thread na demonstration of di deep and thoughtful policy co-ordination between senior officials."

Messages blast 'pathetic' Europe

Goldberg also report say di officials bin discuss di potential for Europe to pay for US protection of key shipping lanes.

"Weda na now or several weeks from now, e gatz be di United States wey go reopen dis shipping lanes," di account associated wit Waltz bin write on 14 March.

Di message kontinu by saying Trump don ask im team to work wit di defence department and state department "to determine how to compile di cost associated and put di levy on di Europeans".

At one point for di thread di Vance account bin complain say di strikes go benefit di Europeans, becos dem dey rely on dose shipping lanes, adding: "I just hate to bail Europe out again."

Di user identified as Hegseth respond three minutes later: "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. E dey PATHETIC."