Hegseth accuses journalist of ‘peddling hoaxes’ after war plans shared on group chat

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, of “peddling hoaxes” after Trump’s national security team mistakenly included him in their group chat about Yemen’s ‘war plans.’ Hegseth described Goldberg as “deceitful” and a “so-called journalist” during his first Indo-Pacific trip as defence secretary in Hawaii. “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he stated. When asked how war plans regarding the Houthis in Yemen were shared with a journalist, he discredited Goldberg, saying: “This is the guy who peddles in garbage.” Hegseth did not clarify why Signal was used for the sensitive operation or how Goldberg was added to the chat.