Staff Reports
The latest media tempest is stirring around a rather unexpected revelation: key Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, reportedly added Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic to a group chat on the encrypted messaging platform Signal. The baffling part? This was a chat that discussed sensitive national security matters, particularly operations against the Houthi rebels. One has to wonder how a noted fabricator like Goldberg got included in such discussions, a slip-up that deserves scrutiny but not the hyperbole it has generated, especially from the left.
Goldberg, often peddling narratives that serve the anti-Trump agenda, has a questionable track record, notably being the originator of the “losers and suckers” myth in 2020 and absurd claims that Trump had a love fest with Nazi generals. So, when he alleges that he happened upon secret war plans while hanging out in this group chat, it’s prudent to take a huge grain of salt. After all, isn’t it always the case that those with the most dubious reputations tend to scream the loudest about scandals?
Many officials involved are being painted in a positive light despite this faux pas, while others are bearing the brunt of criticism. The real question here isn’t whether adding Goldberg was the brightest move—the answer is clearly no. The burning question remains whether anything classified was actually discussed. Goldberg alleges that he gained access to privileged information about military operations, claiming to have seen details that should not be splashed across the pages of his magazine. Yet, the Trump administration confirmed the chat’s authenticity without corroborating his grandiose claims, leaving everyone wondering if this is just another fake news episode.
"Watergate 2.0 it's not."
Townhall's @mVespa1 breaks down the Signal chat saga. https://t.co/2NuB3DVnnc pic.twitter.com/gi3uXa0zER
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 25, 2025
In the midst of all this drama, some clarity has emerged, thanks to voices from the right like CNN’s Scott Jennings, who has detailed how the setup with Signal was already in place before these officials even took office. In fact, it’s become clear that this uproar isn’t the scandal the left is hoping to exploit. Are we truly witnessing a “Watergate 2.0,” or merely the discontent of a media desperate for a juicy story? The reality is that there’s no evidence that anything even remotely classified saw the light of day in that chat.
Critics on social media are already dissecting the situation, and it’s becoming apparent that while adding Goldberg might resemble an unforced error, declaring this as a catastrophic leak falls flat. Critics like Tony Kinnett have sifted through the details and concluded that what Goldberg is labeling as “top-secret war plans” is closer to a social media post than actual classified information. Anyone with even a smattering of military knowledge could easily deduce that what was discussed had already been public knowledge.
The left’s indignation over this supposed breach is rich, especially considering their own party’s history with security mishaps. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been busy juggling its own blunders, from failed foreign policies to haphazard diplomatic relations. Yet, instead of owning up to their failures, they would rather deflect and watch a Trump administration misstep spiral out of control. The focus on this incident is less about national security and more about keeping the partisan battle alive. The truth is often a casualty of this war, and in this case, it becomes painfully obvious that the cries of scandal are merely the sound of empty vessels making the most noise.
