White House Claims Auto-Suggested iPhone Contact Sparked Signal Scandal

The Signal scandal has taken an unexpected turn, with the White House reportedly blaming an iPhone auto-suggestion for the mishap that added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a sensitive group chat. In this post, we break down the bizarre series of events, the key players involved, and how a simple iPhone feature led to a major communication blunder within the Trump administration.

White House Blames iPhone Auto-Suggest for Signal Scandal Involving Jeffrey Goldberg

How did Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg end up in a Signal group chat with Trump administration officials discussing their plans for an airstrike in Yemen?

The simplest explanation: National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had Goldberg saved as a contact in his phone and accidentally added him to the chat. Initially, when Waltz claimed that Goldberg’s phone number was “sucked in” from another contact, Goldberg dismissed the idea, stating, “This isn’t ‘The Matrix.’”

However, according to The Guardian, an internal investigation by the White House’s information technology office revealed a more complicated series of events, with an iPhone auto-suggestion playing a pivotal role. After Goldberg emailed the White House for comment on a story, Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes texted Waltz the contents of Goldberg’s email. This triggered a “contact suggestion update” on Waltz’s iPhone, which automatically saved Goldberg’s phone number under Hughes’ name. When Waltz later attempted to add Hughes, who was now a spokesperson for the National Security Council, he inadvertently ended up adding Goldberg instead.

For his part, Goldberg commented, “I’m not going to comment on my relationship with Mike Waltz beyond saying I do know him and have spoken to him.”