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Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a Signal group chat discussing military plans due to an error by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who reportedly intended to coordinate with officials but mistakenly included Goldberg’s number. The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and others planning a U.S. strike on Houthi militants in Yemen. Goldberg initially thought it might be a hoax but realized its authenticity when the discussed strike occurred.
Rob Schmitt dismissed the scandal as overblown, framing it as another example of Democratic hypocrisy. He contrasted the outrage over Signal with past Democratic figures like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden allegedly mishandling classified materials without similar scrutiny. Schmitt highlighted that no classified information was leaked, citing Trump officials’ testimony that Signal is permissible for non-classified discussions. His commentary ridiculed Democrats for “double standards,” quoting a colleague’s jab: “If it weren’t for double standards, the left would have no standards at all”.
Schmitt likely portrayed the incident as a media-driven “nothingburger” meant to undermine Trump’s national security team. He emphasized Goldberg’s decision not to publish operational details as proof the story lacked merit, while accusing Democrats of exploiting the error to distract from their own vulnerabilities. This aligns with Schmitt’s history of defending Trump’s confrontational tactics and dismissing critiques as partisan attacks.
