Members of a Trump administration chat group which apparently inadvertently leaked U.S. military operations in Yemen to a journalist reportedly partied with the president at a $1-million-a-seat fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the plotted bombings took place.
Hours after the alarming breach of national security involving the journalist, and the fatal bombings in Yemen, which both took place March 15, several members of the Signal chat group attended the “candlelight fundraising dinner,” Wired reported.
Some 53 people, including children, were killed in the attacks on Yemen.
The dinner event included guests who had been on the chat earlier before the bombings: National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Wired.
Others apparently included were Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiator Steve Witkoff, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Wired reported. Elon Musk and his 4-year-old son also reportedly attended.
No one apparently yet knew that the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg had been secretly in on the Signal group call after he was apparently inadvertently added by one of the participants. The call included multiple senior officials, incuding JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The chat reportedly discussed a highly sensitive operation aimed Houthi positions in Yemen, with extremely specific details provided by Hegseth.
The chat members remained connected following the military operations that day in Yemen, and congratulated one another. A profile known as “MAR,” believed to be “Marco Antonio Rubio,” texted: “Good Job Pete and your team!!” — referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The profile believed to be Waltz later replied: “The team in MAL did a great job too,” seemingly referring to those at Mar-a-Lago, including Miller, Waltz, and Rubio. The Trump team has reportedly often used MAL as shorthand for the president’s Florida residence.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment about whether Waltz, Rubio and Miller attended the Mar-a-Lago dinner.
