The editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was skeptical when he received a connection request on Signal from someone named Michael Waltz. Could it really be Michael Waltz, the national security adviser? In fact, it was.
The chat, revealed on Monday, has become the focus of intense scrutiny. Ultimately, it included 18 individuals, Mr. Goldberg reported, including several deputies added at the suggestion of their bosses.
The participants discussed a plan to strike Houthi militants in Yemen, the attack’s potential consequences and, eventually, Mr. Hegseth’s reports on its success.
Here are some of the key figures involved:
JD Vance
The vice president has recently positioned himself as something of an attack dog for Mr. Trump. But in the group text, he said appeared to question if Mr. Trump understood the potential consequences of a strike in Yemen. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” he wrote. A spokesman for Mr. Vance has since said that he is “fully aligned with the president.”
Pete Hegseth
The defense secretary, a military veteran and former Fox News host, is accused by Mr. Goldberg of texting in the chat information about weapons, targets and timing of the Yemen attack two hours before it took place on March 15.
Michael Waltz
The national security adviser and former Republican member of Congress is a decorated Special Forces soldier. Mr. Waltz had been taking fire from Republicans of all stripes even before the revelation that he invited a journalist into a sensitive group chat.
Stephen Miller
The White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Trump’s homeland security adviser was identified as “S M” in the Signal chat. He has oversight of domestic policy and homeland security advisers, as well as influence over how Mr. Trump approaches immigration.
In the Signal chat, he told the group the president had given “a green light” for the Yemen strike, according to Mr. Goldberg.
Marco Rubio
Mr. Rubio, who was identified as MAR on Signal, is the secretary of state. The former Florida senator shared congratulatory messages in the thread after the strike on Yemen.
John Ratcliffe
Mr. Ratcliffe is the director of the C.I.A. He served in the first Trump administration as the director of national intelligence and became known as a fierce Trump loyalist. In a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning, he confirmed he was a member of the chat group but claimed his communications on the Signal thread were “permissible and lawful and did not include any classified information.”
Tulsi Gabbard
Ms. Gabbard is the director of national intelligence. She was identified on Signal as TG, was previously a member of Congress and was a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.
She was among the most surprising of Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominees, and was confirmed only after a contentious process in which she was questioned about her previous support of Edward Snowden, a former government contractor turned whistle-blower; her vocal defenses of Bashar-al-Assad, the former Syrian dictator; and her often sympathetic stances toward President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Steve Witkoff
Mr. Witkoff, President Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and the Middle East, has no diplomatic experience but has known Mr. Trump since the 1980s. Reports showed that he was in Moscow when he was added to the Signal chat.
After the strike, Mr. Witkoff texted five emojis: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags, Mr. Goldberg wrote.
Scott Bessent
The billionaire hedge fund manager turned treasury secretary was identified as Scott B on the group chat. Mr. Bessent is also currently in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after Mr. Trump fired a Biden administration appointee.
Brian McCormack
A former energy consultant, Mr. McCormack is the chief of staff of the National Security Council, under Waltz.
Susie Wiles
The former political aide and Florida strategist is the White House chief of staff. She is part of Mr. Trump’s inner circle and ran his 2024 presidential campaign.
Joe Kent
Mr. Trump’s nominee to run the national counterterrorism center has been acting as a chief of staff to Ms. Gabbard. A confirmation date for Mr. Kent has not been set.
Jeffrey Goldberg
Mr. Goldberg became the editor in chief of The Atlantic in 2016. He’s been at the publication since 2007, and has a storied career as a national security reporter.
