March 31 (UPI) — The White House said Monday it has concluded its review into how a journalist was added to a Signal message group chat, where high-ranking officials discussed military strikes in Yemen, and declared the case “closed.”
“This case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again, and we’re moving forward.”
Leavitt did not specify what was discovered in the White House review or what steps were being taken to ensure group chat security in the future.
The White House statement comes more than two weeks after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently included in a group chat with top Trump administration officials as they discussed impending attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Goldberg wrote in a published story last week that the first group invite came on March 11, from national security adviser Mike Waltz. The group also included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Goldberg said he was invited to join another group chat days later called, “Houthi PC small group,” where specific details outlined weaponry, targets and timing of the Yemen attack two hours before it was carried out on March 15.
On Monday, Leavitt defended Waltz, saying he “continues to be an important part of Trump’s national security team.”
“The president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team,” Leavitt added.
Last week, Trump said Waltz had taken responsibility for the mistake, adding there are no plans to fire anyone over the incident.
Democrats have criticized the administration for revealing information about an impending military action with a journalist. The Senate Intelligence Committee held hearings last week to question Ratcliffe and Gabbard.
The attacks against Houthis in Yemen were carried out successfully on March 15, two hours after Goldberg said he was included in the officials’ discussion. The White House has said none of the information discussed was classified.