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The Atlantic: Please remove us from this distro

The publication's editor was added to another Signal chat called "Joint Ops Bantz 🔥💥🚀 (NO FOREIGN)"

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Duffel Blog
May 19, 2025
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WASHINGTON — The Atlantic editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, has replied-all after he was mistakenly added to another Department of Defense Signal chat group that routinely leaks classified information, obscure memes, and, apparently, Russian intelligence collection opportunities.


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Sources confirmed that the chat, named “Joint Ops Bantz 🔥💥🚀 (NO FOREIGN),” was intended for a small group of senior DoD officials, the country's transportation office, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s mother.

Instead, it included a curious mix of field grades, unpaid DOGE interns, a public affairs officer’s burner phone, Pete Hegseth’s mother (yeah, again), and, for reasons no one can explain, Goldberg himself (also, again).

Initially believing the chat to be a press pool group, Goldberg reportedly tried to keep up, only to be greeted with a barrage of eye-watering content ranging from “JRTC Thunderdome fight club rules” to a live play-by-play of a general officer trying to bypass CAC login for the 37th time.


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“I just wanted to cover a story about military families overcoming adversity,” Goldberg explained. “Instead, I got 200 messages debating if we could weaponize a horse, and whether we can force women in this country to have more babies like in The Handmaid’s Tale. I wish I could make this stuff up.”

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