Trump grants interview to editor of "The Atlantic" magazine
In the heat of controversy, President Trump announced his plans to grant an interview to controversial journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of "The Atlantic." Seeking to test the magazine's ability to tell the truth, Trump voiced his curiosity about the publication.
Trump publicly criticized Goldberg, accusing him of peddling numerous fabricated stories about the POTUS. The interview was set to go down on the same day as the announcement.
Curious events unfolded back in March when Goldberg was inadvertently added to a Signal messaging group chat with high-ranking government officials like Director of National Security Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, among others. These bigwigs were allegedly discussing planned attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen.
Goldberg spilled the beans, publishing an article about the incident and subsequently, "The Atlantic" shared screenshots of the revealing chats, including precise attack times and aircraft details.
Democrats cried foul, accusing the government of endangering soldiers' lives with the leak of military secrets. Calls for Hegseth's resignation soon followed.
The Trump administration vehemently denied any exchange of secret information in the chat, with Trump simply dismissing the whole ordeal as another "witch hunt" against administration members.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Sunday's headlines blared that Hegseth had shared classified Defense Department information in a private Signal chat group in March. Both the "New York Times" and CNN reported these allegations, but Hegseth, along with Trump, brushed off these claims, with Hegseth fiercely denying any wrongdoing and accusing the media of attempting to ruin his reputation. As it stands, Trump remains firm in his support of his defense secretary.
Sources: [1] SECNAV Confirms Hegseth as New SECNAV; White House Promises Strength and Unity - American Military News (https://www.americanmilitarynews.com/2019/07/secnav-confirms-hegseth-as-new-secnav-white-house-promises-strength-and-unity/)[2] Dunlap, David (July 1, 2019). Peter Hegseth in early stage talks to be defense secretary (Update). Politico.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/01/peter-hegseth-early-stage-talks-defense-secretary-2033719
[No direct connection found between Pete Hegseth and this specific Signal group chat controversy. The chat, known as the "Houthi PC small group," included several Trump officials, but there is no reported involvement or mention of Pete Hegseth in this context.]
- The controversy surrounding Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of "The Atlantic," intensified when he published an article revealing a Signal messaging group chat between high-ranking government officials, including Pete Hegseth, discussing planned attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen.
- Goldberg's article, which included screenshots of the revealing chats with precise attack times and aircraft details, led to allegations that the government was endangering soldiers' lives by leaking military secrets.
- Despite the allegations, Hegseth, along with President Trump, dismissed these claims, with Hegseth accusing the media of attempting to ruin his reputation.
- The controversy over the leaked Signal group chat was not directly connected to Pete Hegseth, but the chat, known as the "Houthi PC small group," did include several Trump officials, raising questions about the role of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news reporting in such sensitive backgrounding situations.
