The White House asked Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help investigate how a journalist was involved in a conversation via the Signal app with national security officials.
Speaking to reporters, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told The Hill that the National Security Council, the White House Counsel's office, and Elon Musk's team were involved in the investigation into the Signal incident.
The White House insisted that no classified information was disclosed in the conversation, which also included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President Vance, among other participants. The Atlantic magazine published new excerpts of the conversation on Wednesday, which its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, had initially chosen not to publish due to national security concerns.
The leaked text shows that Hegseth shared in the conversation the exact timeline of the airstrike as well as the weapons that would be used in the strikes against Yemen, which began on March 15.
National Security Adviser Michael Waltz has confirmed that Elon Musk is investigating how a journalist was accidentally added to a Signal group chat involving US administration officials, where sensitive military plans were discussed.
The importance of the case
Newsweek reported on Monday a statement from Jeffrey Goldberg, claiming that Waltz had mistakenly included him in a conversation with members of the White House national security team.
According to Goldberg, the officials shared confidential details during the conversation about the Pentagon's plan to conduct airstrikes against the Houthi armed group in Yemen, which has been attacking Western ships in the Red Sea for more than a year.
This apparent security breach has drawn criticism from members of Congress from both parties. House lawmakers have called for an investigation to understand how the leak occurred and how the administration plans to prevent similar incidents in the future.
What there is to know
On Tuesday, Michael Waltz said on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" that Elon Musk, who had served as an adviser to the Trump administration, was investigating the security breach.
He told presenter Laura Ingraham:
"It's embarrassing, yes. We're going to find out the truth. I just spoke with Elon on the way here. We have the best technical experts looking into how this could have happened."
He added :
"But I can tell you 100% that I don't know this man. I only know him by his bad reputation; he's one of the worst journalists. I know he hates the president. I don't send him messages. He wasn't on my phone, and we're going to find out how this happened."
Tuesday, Donald Trump told NBC News: "Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, he is a good man."
On Monday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "As President Trump has said, the strikes against the Houthis were successful and highly effective. President Trump maintains full confidence in his national security team, including his senior adviser, Michael Waltz."
It remains to be seen whether Congress will decide to open an investigation into this security breach.
