Washington — The Signal group chat that shared information regarding the timing and descriptions of weaponry for a proposed strike against the Houthis in Yemen included the names or initials of 18 officials from the Trump administration, as well as Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who detailed his account of the exchanges.
A National Security Council spokesperson has verified that the message thread “seems to be legitimate,” and no participants named so far have contested their involvement in the “Houthi PC small group” chat.
So, who are the officials whose contacts show up in the Signal chat, and what roles do they hold?
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz
Goldberg mentioned that on Tuesday, March 11, he got a connection request on Signal from a user named Michael Waltz, who turned out to be national security adviser Michael Waltz, a leading aide to the president.
“Two days later—Thursday—at 4:28 p.m., I got a notification that I was being added to a Signal chat group,” Goldberg wrote. “It was titled the ‘Houthi PC small group.’
Waltz initiated the discussion in the group, stating, as per The Atlantic: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for the next 72 hours.”
As national security adviser, Waltz is appointed by the president and does not require Senate confirmation.
President Trump told NBC that he continues to have faith in Waltz, saying, “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.”
Waltz stated on Tuesday that he took “full responsibility” for the chat and claimed he “created” the Signal group, while noting he lacked Goldberg’s contact details and was unsure how Goldberg linked into the chat. Goldberg recounted receiving a Signal request from a user named “Michael Waltz.” Shortly after, a screenshot he shared indicated, “Michael Waltz added you to the group.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the official who shared the times and types of weapons that would be utilized in the planned assault beforehand, based on screenshots of the dialogue released by The Atlantic. Neither the White House nor Hegseth has contested the validity of his communications; however, they emphasize that it doesn’t constitute “war plans.”
As secretary of defense, Hegseth acts as the primary advisor on defense policy to the president and ranks second in the command hierarchy after Mr. Trump.
While speaking at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump asserted that Hegseth “did nothing wrong” and suggested that Hegseth himself could lead a review to determine if any of the information should have been kept classified. “Sure, I’ll ask him to do that,” Mr. Trump indicated. “There are many ways to tackle that question. But I would definitely ask him to consider it.”
Vice President JD Vance
Vice President JD Vance was also included in the group chat, where he voiced his reservations regarding the operation, particularly about potential spikes in oil prices. In the chat, Vance expressed he was “willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself,” while also stating, “there’s a strong case for delaying this by a month.”
Since the articles by The Atlantic were published, Vance claimed Goldberg “oversold what he had.”
As vice president, Vance not only stands as the second in line for the presidency but also serves as a vital advisor on nearly all aspects of domestic and foreign policy to the president.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s name also surfaces in the chat, and he confirmed his participation during testimony before the Senate this week. Ratcliffe’s comments in the chat included asserting that from the CIA’s standpoint, “we are mobilizing assets to support now, but a delay would not negatively affect us, and extra time would be utilized to pinpoint better starting points for coverage on Houthi leadership.”
During his congressional testimony, Ratcliffe stated that his “communications in the Signal message group were entirely permissible and lawful and did not involve classified information.”
“TG” — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
A participant named “TG” in the Signal chat is reported to be Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. During congressional testimony this week, Gabbard did not deny her involvement in the message chain but clarified that she was “not directly involved” in the discussions concerning the attack plans.
As the director of national intelligence, Gabbard holds a Cabinet-level position leading the U.S. intelligence community.
During her testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard mentioned that Signal is pre-installed on government devices.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff
The name Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East and Ukraine, also appears in the chat.
Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin in Russia during part of the timeline leading to the attack.
Sources informed CBS News on Wednesday that no device the senior envoy carried to Russia had Signal installed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt conveyed to reporters on Wednesday that Witkoff did not have access to his personal device or government phone while in Moscow and that he was given access to a “classified protected server” by the U.S. government, stressing he was “very careful” with his communications in Russia.
In his own social media update on Wednesday, Witkoff stated he had “no access to my personal devices until I returned from my trip.”
Witkoff contributed little to the chat.
Scott B.
Scott B. seems to refer to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to The Atlantic. His account assigned someone from the Treasury Department as his point of contact for matters related to the strike, which the Treasury Department oversees concerning sanctions.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ name shows up in the Signal group, although the screenshots published by The Atlantic do not include any messages from her.
In her role, Wiles is responsible for coordinating the president’s senior staff and overseeing the implementation of his agenda.
“MAR” — Secretary of State Marco Rubio
The name “MAR” appears twice in the contacts list. The Atlantic highlights that the secretary of state is named Marco Antonio Rubio, and “MAR” contributed on behalf of the State Department.
On Wednesday, Rubio confirmed his presence in the chat, indicating he only made two contributions.
“I can only speak for myself regarding my involvement — I believe my role was simply to fulfill my duties,” Rubio noted. “I contributed twice: I identified my point of contact, my chief of staff, and later, approximately three hours after the official White House announcements, I congratulated team members.”
In the chat, “MAR” designates Mike Needham to serve as the State Department’s point of contact, and Needham’s account is active in the discussion. Needham serves as Rubio’s counselor and chief of staff.
Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong
Alex Wong is Waltz’s deputy. In his initial messages, Waltz mentioned Wong was “assembling a tiger team at the deputies/government chief of staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning.”
Joe Kent
Former Green Beret Joe Kent was appointed by Mr. Trump to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, and his name is included in the Signal chat. In the exchange, Gabbard nominated Kent to be her point of contact from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Others
Others included in the Signal chat are identified as Brian, who referred to himself in the chat as “Brian McCormack for NSC,” Walker Barrett, Jacob, and “SM,” whom Goldberg believed to be Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
