Did You Notice What Vanished From The Atlantic’s Narrative About the Hegseth Signal Story?

The Atlantic felt their story was dying. The Trump administration said no classified war plans were discussed in the Signal chat story that’s captured the hyper-regional confines of liberal America. It looks like a nothing burger vis-à-vis a severe breach in classified information, though still an unforced error on behalf of top officials. To recap, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat on the encrypted messenger app, which was pre-downloaded on the devices of those involved in the chat, which included CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Vice President JD Vance. 

The hook was that classified war plans were discussed, and Mr. Ratcliffe shot down a claim. There was nothing classified, Jeff, so release the texts. At first, he decided not to do it, simply claiming his detractors were wrong—a typical response when fake news is knowingly peddled. 

So, The Atlantic opted to publish the text they felt was classified, though it wasn’t, and two things were clear: these aren’t war plans, and that narrative has conspicuously vanished.

Now, this isn’t a one-sided deal. Again, this was a brutal, unforced error, adding a known Trump-hater to this chat. This administration dodged a significant bullet and was lucky that no classified information was disclosed. Then again, in the chats, all the principals are aware of the “high side” lines of communications, secure platforms where deeper discussions could occur.

The chats are real, so it’s not a hoax, but the ‘they disclosed classified war plans’ narrative is fake news and hyper-sensationalized. The White House did well to notice how the words “war plans” got stealth edited in the new disclosures, pointing to a tacit acknowledgement that the publication got ahead of their skis on this one, which is a common trait at The Atlantic:

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Editor’s Note: This leaked Signal chat is a non-scandal, and we need to focus on the real issues, not the Regime Media and Democrats’ invented outrage.

Help us tell the truth about the Trump administration by joining Townhall VIP. Use promo code FIGHT at checkout to get 60% off.

The Atlantic felt their story was dying. The Trump administration said no classified war plans were discussed in the Signal chat story that’s captured the hyper-regional confines of liberal America. It looks like a nothing burger vis-à-vis a severe breach in classified information, though still an unforced error on behalf of top officials. To recap, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat on the encrypted messenger app, which was pre-downloaded on the devices of those involved in the chat, which included CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Vice President JD Vance. 

The hook was that classified war plans were discussed, and Mr. Ratcliffe shot down a claim. There was nothing classified, Jeff, so release the texts. At first, he decided not to do it, simply claiming his detractors were wrong—a typical response when fake news is knowingly peddled. 

So, The Atlantic opted to publish the text they felt was classified, though it wasn’t, and two things were clear: these aren’t war plans, and that narrative has conspicuously vanished.

Now, this isn’t a one-sided deal. Again, this was a brutal, unforced error, adding a known Trump-hater to this chat. This administration dodged a significant bullet and was lucky that no classified information was disclosed. Then again, in the chats, all the principals are aware of the “high side” lines of communications, secure platforms where deeper discussions could occur.

The chats are real, so it’s not a hoax, but the ‘they disclosed classified war plans’ narrative is fake news and hyper-sensationalized. The White House did well to notice how the words “war plans” got stealth edited in the new disclosures, pointing to a tacit acknowledgement that the publication got ahead of their skis on this one, which is a common trait at The Atlantic:

***

Editor’s Note: This leaked Signal chat is a non-scandal, and we need to focus on the real issues, not the Regime Media and Democrats’ invented outrage.

Help us tell the truth about the Trump administration by joining Townhall VIP. Use promo code FIGHT at checkout to get 60% off.