US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly admitted that adding a journalist to a military group chat was a “big mistake” and promised to implement reforms to prevent such an incident from happening again.
During a press conference in Jamaica, Rubio addressed the ongoing controversy, stating, “Obviously, someone made a mistake – someone made a big mistake – and added a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but you ain’t supposed to be on that thing.” The row, which has been making headlines for the third consecutive day, prompted Rubio to assure that changes would be made to ensure such an error does not recur. “I think there will be reforms and changes made so this never – so this is not going to happen again,” he added.
Although Rubio did not assign blame, he clarified that his involvement in the chat was limited to two instances: one to designate a representative and the second to congratulate US troops following the public announcement of the strikes on Yemen.
The situation began when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed that he had been mistakenly added to the military chat via the Signal app by Mike Waltz, the national security advisor. According to Goldberg, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed sensitive strike plans within the chat.
Rubio reaffirmed the Trump administration’s stance, stating, “None of the information on there at any point threatened the operation or the lives of our servicemen.”
Messages released by The Atlantic further exposed internal disagreements over the decision to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen. Vice President JD Vance expressed his discontent, claiming that the US was once again “bailing out” Europe, which had been more directly impacted by the insurgents’ disruptions to shipping in the Red Sea. In the exchange, Hegseth agreed, labeling the “European freeloading” as “PATHETIC.”
When asked for his reaction as the US’s top diplomat, Rubio supported the military strikes, emphasizing that they were in the best interest of global security. “I think the point I would make is not, we’re going to make somebody pay or not. It’s (that) everybody should recognize we are doing the world a great favor going after these guys, because this can’t continue,” he stated.
The controversy over the inclusion of Goldberg in the military chat has sparked discussions on security protocol and transparency, with Rubio’s promise of reforms coming as an attempt to restore confidence in the process.
