How was Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, added to a Signal group conversation with Trump administration officials who were discussing their plans for an airstrike in Yemen?

The most straightforward explanation is that Goldberg was mistakenly added to National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s phone as a contact.

In fact, Goldberg sneered at Waltz’s initial assertion that his phone number had been “sucked in” from another contact, stating, “This isn’t ‘The Matrix.”

However, the White House’s information technology office’s internal investigation, as reported by the Guardian, determined that a more intricate situation had occurred, with an iPhone auto-suggest feature playing a significant role.

A Trump spokesperson, Brian Hughes, relayed the contents of Goldberg’s email to Waltz after Goldberg sent an email to the White House seeking comment on a story.

Consequently, Waltz’s iPhone provided a “contact suggestion update” that ultimately preserved Goldberg’s phone number under Hughes’ name.

Afterward, Waltz purportedly inadvertently included Goldberg in the conversation when attempting to include Hughes, who is currently a spokesperson for the National Security Council.

Goldberg, on the other hand, stated, “I will refrain from commenting on my relationship with Mike Waltz, except to say that I am acquainted with him and have conversed with him.”