Trump administration in hot water over Yemen strike leak
The White House issued a statement addressing the attack on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. The discussion surrounding the strike was inadvertently observed by a journalist who was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat with senior US officials. "This is a coordinated effort to distract from the successful actions taken by President Trump," the statement read.
- In mid-March, the Americans carried out an attack on the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
- Before the attack, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat where senior US officials discussed the strike.
- The White House stated that focusing on this issue is a "distraction," and that Donald Trump and his team are "making terrorists pay."
On Monday, the editor-in-chief of "The Atlantic," Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed that on 11 March, he was added to a Signal group where high-ranking US officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and the Pentagon's chief Pete Hegseth, were discussing the impending attack on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. Initially, the journalist thought the situation was not real until the attack took place on 15 March.
Trump criticised "The Atlantic" in the early hours, then stated he knew nothing about the issue described by the magazine. In another appearance, he referred to it as a "glitch."
The White House attacks "Democrats and their media allies"
On Tuesday, the White House issued a statement addressing the scandal, albeit indirectly.
"Democrats and their media allies have seemingly forgotten that President Donald J. Trump and his National Security team successfully killed terrorists who have targeted U.S. troops and disrupted one of the most consequential shipping routes in the world," the statement read.
"This is a coordinated effort to distract from the successful actions taken by President Trump and his administration to make America’s enemies pay and keep Americans safe," it emphasised.
The White House criticised the previous Biden administration for "sat back" as "a band of pirates" armed with weapons from Iran "one of the most important shipping lanes in the world." It was noted that the Houthis attacked American naval vessels and commercial ships.
The Trump administration reminded that during Biden's term, the Houthis were removed from the list of terrorist organisations, and the current president put them back on the list.
"The Trump Administration’s actions to hold the Houthis accountable has been a massive success — and nothing can distract from that unrelenting action to keep Americans safe," it stated.
During the Signal chat, Pete Hegseth suggested explaining the attack on the Houthis primarily as a critique of the Biden administration.
