White House security leak: who’s who in the Signal group chat

Pete Hegseth

US defence secretary

The appointment of the Fox News host to head the Pentagon was highly controversial. A former Army National Guard officer, Pete Hegseth, 44, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and alcohol abuse.

His contributions to the group chat include suggesting that because Americans were unfamiliar with the Houthi armed group in Yemen that messaging could instead focus on the alleged failures of the former US president Joe Biden.

He also appeared to be one of the most gung-ho participants, warning: “Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza ceasefire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms.” Hegseth also makes references to enforcing “100%” operational security in the event the action was paused, despite the fact it was already compromised by a journalist’s presence in the group.

Most alarming, however, was Hegseth’s sharing of a “TEAM UPDATE” the Atlantic decided not to publish because of the risk it said that it posed to US servicemen and operations in the Middle East.

JD Vance

US vice-president

The 40-year-old served as a press officer in Iraq for six months in a non-combat role before studying law at Yale and beginning his political career after the success of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

In the chat, Vance, who has often appeared as Trump’s tag team partner, not least in the Oval Office pile-on of Ukraine’s pPesident Volodymyr Zelenskyy, displays more independence of thought in the conversation.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate-to-severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”

Later in the chat he reinforces his animus towards Europe, previously seen at the Munich security conference, in a message responding to Hegseth: “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”

Stephen Miller

Senior Trump adviser

Miller, 39, a longtime bete noire for liberal for his incendiary views on immigration and other issues, was also seen as an intellectual architect of efforts to block the election of Joe Biden in 2020, suggesting publicly that slates of “alternate” electors be sent to Congress.

Identified by the Atlantic as SM in the conversation, he intervenes to insist that the president has already been clear about the decision to attack Yemen, suggesting that he speaks for Trump and with his authority.

“As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. Eg, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”

Michael Waltz

National security adviser

A former Republican member of Congress and Special Forces soldier who served overseas, Waltz, like other former military personnel in the chat, including Vance, Hegseth, and the director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, should have been aware of the breach of operational security involved in the chat.

It was Waltz, the Atlantic suggests, who erroneously invited Jeffrey Goldberg on Signal to take part in the war planning group.

Other significant individuals on the chat

Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, who is also involved in negotiations with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin over a Ukraine ceasefire plan. Witkoff contributes congratulatory emojis after the attack. Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, whose reported contribution amounts largely to offering congratulations on the operation, and Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, who also offers “kudos”.