The Steady Drip: Sen. Mullin to Newsmax: Signal Chat Leak 'Blown Out of Proportion' (Connecting the Dots: Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson Collective, Arne Duncan & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Sen. Mullin to Newsmax: Signal Chat Leak 'Blown Out of Proportion' (Connecting the Dots: Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson Collective, Arne Duncan & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

By Jim Thomas | Tuesday, 25 March 2025 10:15 PM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/markwayne-mullin-signal-chat-jeffrey-goldberg/2025/03/25/id/1204351/

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., dismissed criticism over a leaked Signal group chat among Trump officials on Newsmax on Tuesday, calling the left's media coverage "blown out of proportion."

Mullin defended Trump's team after the accidental inclusion of The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing a military strike in Yemen.

During an appearance on "Finnerty," Mullin downplayed the controversy and accused left-leaning media outlets of inflating the incident to discredit Trump's inner circle.

"A mistake happened. But it's been blown way out of proportion," Mullin said. "People have been comparing this to Hillary Clinton's emails — that if you spoke out against Hillary Clinton's emails, you better be speaking out against this Signal chat. There's a huge difference between the two."

Mullin said no classified information, including Republican lawmakers and senior advisers, was shared in the group chat. The chat came to public attention after Goldberg was inadvertently added and able to observe messages related to a U.S. strike on Houthi targets in Yemen.

"There is zero classified information held on this group chat," Mullin said. "Unlike Hillary's, there was TTS; there was SSCI — meaning top secret, top secret that is very sensitive material that was served."

Mullin defended national security adviser Mike Waltz, who has been linked to the accidental addition of Goldberg.

"Mike is a dear friend of mine, someone that I would trust with my life ... a mistake happened," Mullin said. "But the media, the left media, has blown this thing out of proportion."

He said the mix-up could have been as simple as a mistyped phone number or a contact entered incorrectly — a risk common with widely circulated phone numbers.

"I could speculate about it," Mullin added. "I've entered people wrong in my contacts. I've had missed numbers from someone that I didn't answer because I didn't recognize it ... It could have been one of those."

Mullin said the group chat served as a space for officials to have an "open discussion on a very serious issue."

He compared the decisiveness of the Trump-aligned group to the Biden administration's response to previous Houthi attacks, saying "Biden and his administration over the last two years, when our warships got attacked 174 times, literally sat on their hands and did nothing," he said.

While acknowledging the incident "still should've never happened," Mullin said it was not a matter of national security and called for moving on.

"People should be proud of the process that actually took place," he said. "There is no two-face here. You saw leaders of this nation that were making an important decision, that was having the same conversation ... in private or in public. And it's refreshing to see that."

Mullin said he has since updated his settings on Signal and WhatsApp and pledged to be more vigilant in the future.

"I promise you, I will now," he said.

The Atlantic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atlantic

In 2006, Bradley hired James Bennet, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, as editor-in-chief. Bradley also hired Jeffrey Goldberg and Andrew Sullivan as writers for the magazine.^[89]

In 2008, Jay Lauf joined the organization as publisher and vice-president; as of 2017, he was publisher and president of Quartz.^[90]

In early 2014, Bennet and Bob Cohn became co-presidents of The Atlantic, and Cohn became the publication's sole president in March 2016 when Bennet was tapped to lead The New York Times's editorial page.^[91][92] Jeffrey Goldberg was named editor-in-chief in October 2016.^[93]

On July 28, 2017, The Atlantic announced that Laurene Powell Jobs (the widow of former Apple Inc. chairman and CEO Steve Jobs) had acquired majority ownership through her Emerson Collective organization, with a staff member of Emerson Collective, Peter Lattman, being immediately named as vice chairman of The Atlantic. David G. Bradley and Atlantic Media retained a minority share position in this sale.

Connecting the Dots:
Laurene Powell Jobs is the Publisher for The Atlantic, was a director at the New America Foundation and married to Steve Jobs.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the New America Foundation.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is Jonathan Soros’s father.

Jonathan Soros is George Soros’s son and a director at the New America Foundation.

Eric E. Schmidt is the chairman of the New America Foundation, was a funder for the New America Foundation and a director at Apple Inc.

Steve Jobs was a co-founder & chairman for Apple Inc., married to Laurene Powell Jobs and authorized Walter Isaacson to write his autobiography.

Walter Isaacson wrote Steve Jobs’s autobiography, is a director at the Bloomberg Family Foundation and the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

The Atlantic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atlantic#Aspen_Ideas_Festival

Aspen Ideas Festival

In 2005, The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute launched the Aspen Ideas Festival, a ten-day event in and around the city of Aspen, Colorado.[44] The annual conference features 350 presenters, 200 sessions, and 3,000 attendees. The event has been called a "political who's who" as it often features policymakers, journalists, lobbyists, and think tank leaders.[45]

On January 22, 2008, TheAtlantic.com dropped its subscriber wall and allowed users to freely browse its site, including all past archives.[46] By 2011 The Atlantic's web properties included TheAtlanticWire.com, a news- and opinion-tracking site launched in 2009,[47] and TheAtlanticCities.com, a stand-alone website started in 2011 that was devoted to global cities and trends.[48] According to a Mashable profile in December 2011, "traffic to the three web properties recently surpassed 11 million uniques per month, up a staggering 2500% since The Atlantic brought down its paywall in early 2008.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Mortimer B. Zuckerman was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the owner of The Atlantic.

Jeffrey Goldberg is the Editor-in-chief for The Atlantic and a director at the Revson Foundation.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a director emeritus at the Revson Foundation and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Reynold Levy was a director at the Revson Foundation and an advisory board member for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Lester Crown was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

William M. Daley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.

Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a director emeritus at the Revson Foundation.

Cheryl Cohen Effron is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a director at the Revson Foundation.

Jeffrey Goldberg is a director at the Revson Foundation and the Editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.
Laurene Powell Jobs is the Publisher for The Atlantic and the founder of Emerson Collective.

Emerson Collective owns The Atlantic.

Emerson Collective

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Collective

Emerson Collective is an organization focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. Founded by billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs,^[2] the collective, which operates under a limited liability company (LLC) model, uses philanthropy, impact investing, advocacy, and community engagement as tools to broadly spur change in the United States and abroad.^[2] The organization is considered to be one of the leading groups engaged in philanthrocapitalism.

Media investments and donations

On July 28, 2017, became the majority owner of The Atlantic, purchasing the majority stake from Atlantic Media's David G. Bradley.[23] The outlets owned by Emerson Collective include The Atlantic magazine and its digital properties along with its standout events line, AtlanticLIVE, and its consulting division, Atlantic 57.

Emerson Collective owns The Atlantic.

Arne S. Duncan is a managing partner at Emerson Collective, his sister is Sarah Duncan, was the secretary at the U.S. Department of Education for the Barack Obama administration and a director at the Ariel Education Initiative.

Sarah Duncan is Arne S. Duncan’s sister and a board member of the Ariel Education Initiative.

Ariel Education Initiative is a nonprofit affiliate of Ariel Investments, LLC.

Ariel Investments, LLC was the host for the Barack Obama fund-raising roundtable, 7/2/2008 and a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama inaugural committee.

John W. Rogers Jr. is the chairman & CEO for Ariel Investments, LLC, a friend of Michelle Obama and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Michelle Obama is a friend of John W. Rogers Jr. and was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Emerson Collective

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Collective

History

Powell Jobs and Emerson Collective were strong advocates of the creation of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and have continued to push for permanent legislation to provide "Dreamers" with a path to citizenship.[12] In October 2016, she wrote the article "Immigrants Fuel Innovation. Let's Not Waste Their Potential" for WIRED.

Emerson Collective owns The Atlantic.

R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Mellody L. Hobson is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the president of Ariel Investments, LLC., and a trustee at the Sundance Institute.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Sundance Institute.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP and Obamacare is his signature policy initiative.

Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy.

CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.

Donna S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI Group Inc. and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Andrea Jung was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and is a director at Apple Inc.

Albert A. Gore Jr. is a director at Apple Inc. and the chairman for the Climate Reality Project.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Climate Reality Project and the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for the Center for American Progress and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Center for American Progress.

Lisa P. Jackson is a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and a VP for Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Steve Jobs was the co-founder & chairman for Apple Inc., authorized his biography for Walter Isaacson to write and married to Laurene Powell Jobs.

Laurene Powell Jobs was married to Steve Jobs, a director at the New America Foundation and is the Publisher for The Atlantic.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the New America Foundation and the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, is Jonathan Soros’s father and a board member for the International Crisis Group,

Jonathan Soros is George Soros’s son and a director at the New America Foundation.

Samantha Power was a director at the International Rescue Committee, a board member for the International Crisis Group, a contributor for The Atlantic, Barack Obama’s aide, the United Nations U.S. ambassador for the Barack Obama administration and is married to Cass R. Sunstein.
Reynold Levy is an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, a director at the Revson Foundation and was an advisory board member for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Jeffrey Goldberg is a director at the Revson Foundation and a correspondent for The Atlantic.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a director emeritus at the Revson Foundation, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Cheryl Cohen Effron is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a director at the Revson Foundation.

Cass R. Sunstein is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and married to Samantha Power.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is a board member for the International Crisis Group.

Samantha Power is married to Cass R. Sunstein, was a director at the International Rescue Committee, a board member for the International Crisis Group, Barack Obama’s aide, the United Nations U.S. ambassador for the Barack Obama administration and a contributor for The Atlantic.

Madeleine K. Albright is an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.

Arne S. Duncan is a trustee at the Truman Scholarship Foundation, a managing partner at Emerson Collective, and was the secretary at the U.S. Department of Education for the Barack Obama administration.

Emerson Collective owns The Atlantic.

Emerson Collective

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Collective

Media investments and donations

Emerson Collective owns The Atlantic.
Laurene Powell Jobs is the founder of Emerson Collective, the Publisher for The Atlantic, was a director at the New America Foundation and married to Steve Jobs.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the New America Foundation.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is Jonathan Soros’s father.

Jonathan Soros is George Soros’s son and a director at the New America Foundation.

Eric E. Schmidt is the chairman of the New America Foundation, was a funder for the New America Foundation and a director at Apple Inc.

Steve Jobs was a co-founder & chairman for Apple Inc., married to Laurene Powell Jobs and authorized Walter Isaacson to write his autobiography.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr was the lobby firm for Apple Inc.

Cameron F. Kerry was an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, is John F. Kerry’s brother, a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.