4 Key Moments in the Leaked Signal Chat

Much of the discussion around the bizarre national security texting breach has been focused on how it happened and what, if any, punishments are warranted. But some outlets also are assessing the text conversation itself among high-ranking White House officials discussing a pending military strike. Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic journalist accidentally looped into the chat, published some of the back and forth, though no details about the strike itself. Some of the takeaways:

• Vance disagrees: An editorial in the Wall Street Journal points out that Vice President JD Vance disagreed with President Trump's decision to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen. "I think we are making a mistake," he wrote, suggesting that it was more in Europe's interest. "I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now," he said. "There's a further risk that we see moderate to severe spike in oil prices." Others disagreed, and planning went forward, but "Trump now knows which of his deputies tried to block it and which tried to carry it out," notes the editorial. A piece at New York magazine on this is headlined, "Maybe J.D. Vance Isn't Trump's Puppet."

• Hegseth slams Europe: At one point in his back-and-forth with Vance, defense chief Pete Hegseth slammed European allies, reports the BBC. "If you think we should do it let's go," Vance texted to Hegseth. "I just hate bailing Europe out again." To which Hegseth replied: "I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC."
• Blaming Biden: Axios notes that, at least in this conversation, the debate was not so much about military strategy as about how to convey the message to the public that it's necessary. Hegseth: "I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what—nobody knows who the Houthis are—which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded."
• Stephen Miller? Goldberg noted that one participant was "SM," whom he assumed was Stephen Miller. This person was fully on board with the president and also wanted accountability from Europe. "As I heard it, the president was clear: green light" to strike the Houthis, SM wrote during the discussion on whether to move forward. In terms of Europe: He said the US must make clear "what we expect in return," adding that the real question was, "If Europe doesn't remunerate, then what? ... If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return."

(More Mike Waltz stories.)