WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged on Wednesday that the accidental inclusion of a journalist in a group chat discussing military strikes was a “big mistake” and anticipated reforms to prevent such incidents in the future, while emphasizing his minimal involvement.
“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,” Rubio stated during a news conference in Jamaica, as the controversy continued to dominate headlines for a third day.
Rubio expressed confidence that reforms would ensure such errors are not repeated. “I think there will be reforms and changes made so this never – so this is not going to happen again,” he added.
He refrained from assigning blame but highlighted his limited participation in the chat, noting he joined only twice: once to assign a representative and later to congratulate US troops after the public announcement of the strikes on Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed he was inadvertently added to the chat on the Signal app by Mike Waltz, the national security advisor. According to Goldberg, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed strike plans during the conversation.
Rubio reiterated the Trump administration’s stance that “none of the information on there at any point threatened the operation or the lives of our servicemen.”
Leaked messages published by The Atlantic revealed a divide over the decision to strike Houthi rebels. Vice President JD Vance criticized the operation, suggesting that the US was once again “bailing out” Europe due to disruptions in Red Sea shipping. Hegseth agreed, calling Europe’s reliance on US military support “PATHETIC.”
When asked for his perspective as America’s top diplomat, Rubio appeared to support the strikes. “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