Karoline Leavitt denies 'war plans' were discussed on text thread that included editor of the Atlantic

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to claims made by Jeffrey Goldberg, the liberal editor who was accidentally included on a group text between Trump administration officials.

Leavitt contested one of the more damaging claims by Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic, from the thread that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.

'Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts.'

Goldberg said that he had been accidentally included on the thread and claimed he had obtained "war plans" about a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen before it occurred. He did not publish the alleged plans, leading many to accuse him of exaggerating what he received.

Leavitt specifically denied the claims in a statement made Tuesday on social media.

"Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts about his latest story," said Leavitt.

She said no war plans were discussed, and no classified material was sent to the thread. She addressed the criticism that it was improper and possibly illegal to conduct official government business on the Signal app, due to records retention laws.

"The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible," she wrote.

"Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective," Leavitt concluded. "Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump."

National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes had confirmed to the Atlantic that the message chain appeared to be authentic and added, "We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain."

Some have speculated that the debacle might lead to the ouster of Mike Waltz, who is believed to have accidentally included Goldberg in the thread. One White House official told Politico that the administration was circling the wagons to defend Waltz.

"Trump certainly wasn't pleased with this," the official reportedly said, but "all this talk you see about Waltz not lasting is just way premature. There's a Washington feeding frenzy. And we all know that you don't give the mob what it wants."

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