US’ Rubio admits inclusion of journalist in war chat was ‘big mistake’

KINGSTON, Jamaica - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 26 that the

inclusion of a journalist in a group chat

on military strikes was a “big mistake” and expected reforms, while highlighting his own limited role.

“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,” Mr Rubio told a news conference in Jamaica, as the row dominated headlines for a third day.

“I think there will be reforms and changes made so this never – so this is not going to happen again,” he said.

Mr Rubio did not assign blame but quickly noted that he participated only twice in the chat – once to assign a representative and later to congratulate US troops after a public announcement of the strikes on Yemen.

Mr Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said he was inadvertently added to the chat on commercial app Signal by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed strike plans through it.

Mr Rubio repeated the Trump administration’s assertion that “none of the information on there at any point threatened the operation or the lives of our servicemen”.

The messages, as released by The Atlantic, showed a divide in the decision to strike the Houthi rebels, with Vice-President J.D. Vance saying the United States was again “bailing out” Europe, which is more affected by the insurgents’ disruptions to Red Sea shipping.

Mr Hegseth, in the exchange, agreed that the “European freeloading” was “PATHETIC”.

Asked for his reaction as America’s top diplomat, Mr 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 recognise we are doing the world a great favour going after these guys, because this can’t continue,” he said. AFP