Right-wing conspiracy theorists have found another new way to explain away how the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic was somehow added to a Signal group chat of top officials discussing bombing Yemen.
It was the work of a Chinese deep-state operative.
The theory accuses Alex Wong, President Donald Trump’s deputy national security advisor, of being tied to the Chinese government.
Screenshots published by the Atlantic of the origin of the group chat show that Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added by an account with the name of National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.
“Team – establishing a principles group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours,” reads the first message in the chat. “My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”
The name-dropping of Wong, a lawyer who served in the Bush administration and the first Trump administration, has turned into fodder for right-wingers looking to shift the blame away from Waltz and onto both China and the “deep state.”
That’s despite the texts not giving any indication Wong played a role in creating the group—and Waltz himself eventually taking “full responsibility” for the mistake.
“Born in 1980 to parents who immigrated from Guangdong, China, Alex Wong is the rat who added Goldberg to the Signal Chat!” baselessly concluded one right-wing X account. “Alex Wong’s wife used to work for the Obama Administration… Do we not do thorough background checks on these people?”
Other far-right users cited Wong’s wife’s work as an Assistant United States Attorney, including in the prosecution of some individuals who participated in Jan. 6.
“Why do we have a CHINESE Deputy National Security advisor who is married to a CHINESE US ATTORNEY who worked under Obama and Biden, and who helped prosecute J6ers after the stolen 2020 election?” posted far-right activist Laura Loomer. “This is unacceptable.”
She added: “And given the Chinese connections, it really makes you wonder if [Goldberg], the reporter from The Atlantic was added to the Trump Signal chat on purpose as part of a foreign opp to embarrass the Trump administration on behalf of China.”
The accusations that Wong added Goldberg to the chat—despite screenshots depicting otherwise—sparked a flurry of racist jokes and calls for his removal.
“WONG NUMBER SIGNALGATE SETUP?” questioned one right-wing influencer, who also referenced Wong’s past work at Covington and Burling, a law firm recently stripped of security clearances due to its work with former special counsel Jack Smith.
“Sum Ting Wong,” echoed another poster. “His wife Candace Chiu Wong, was a prosecutor of January 6th defendants.”
Critics, however, were quick to push back on the latest claims, noting that screenshots gave no indication Wong was responsible.
“There’s an actual screen shot of who added Goldberg. It was Michael Waltz. Not Alex Wong. But mediocre effort on gaslighting, I guess?” quipped one person.
“‘Michael Waltz added you to the group.’ But no, Alex Wong did,” wrote someone else. “It has to be. The only Asian in the entire gc has to be the culprit.”
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