Topline
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said he’s “never communicated” with the Atlantic editor he let access a private group chat of top U.S. officials discussing war plans, in his first comments on the incident—while President Donald Trump defended Waltz amid reports he could be ousted over the mishap.
Key Facts
Waltz said “I’ve never met, don’t know” and “never communicated with” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg after Goldberg revealed Monday Waltz added him to a Signal group chat among top Trump officials discussing the U.S. military’s plans to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen, adding “we are looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room.”
Goldberg told NBC on Tuesday he doesn’t know Waltz personally, but met him twice several years ago and initially thought he was being scammed when he was added to the chat, but realized it was real after Trump ordered the strikes described.
Calling Waltz “a very good man,” Trump told reporters Tuesday he doesn’t think Waltz should apologize and that “he will continue to do a good job,” after telling NBC earlier in the day Waltz “has learned a lesson,” and blaming a Waltz staffer for adding the magazine editor to the chat.
Trump’s defense of Waltz comes after The Wall Street Journal reported Trump is “frustrated” and “directing his ire at Waltz,” citing unnamed administration officials, including one who said Trump asked aides Monday “how Waltz could be so sloppy.”
Politico also reported that White House officials are discussing Waltz’s future in the Trump administration, including whether he should resign voluntarily to avoid Trump having to fire him, with a person close to the White House telling the outlet “everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f—-ing idiot.”
Waltz, who resigned from his seat in Congress representing Florida when he was appointed to the role, is a decorated former Green Beret and worked as a defense adviser under two former defense secretaries and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
What To Watch For
Trump said the administration is reviewing officials’ use of the Signal app—which he said he doesn’t “know anything about”—but said “we may be forced to use it” in “a situation where you need speed as opposed to gross safety.”
Crucial Quote
“This journalist, Mr. President, wants the word talking about more hoaxes and this kind of nonsense rather than the freedom you’re enabling,” Waltz told reporters Tuesday, referring to Goldberg. Waltz agreed with Trump when he said his national security adviser “probably” wouldn’t use Signal again, with Waltz telling reporters “let’s get everybody in the room whenever, whenever possible.”
Chief Critic
Trump repeated claims from multiple administration officials that the information shared in the chat was not classified while speaking to reporters Tuesday, blasting Goldberg as a “total sleazebag.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday denied “war plans” were discussed in the group chat, calling Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called ‘journalist’ who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again,” adding “nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.” But a National Security spokesperson had already confirmed the chat was genuine.
Tangent
Multiple Republicans have expressed shock and concern about the incident. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told The New York Times on Tuesday the White House should “be honest and own up” to the error, placing the blame on Hegseth. “Classified information was put out by the secretary of defense,” he said, adding Hegseth “has to answer for that.” He said the White House’s denial that classified information was leaked is “baloney.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also said Tuesday the White House will “have to figure out now how to ensure that something like this never happens again,” acknowledging there were “errors in judgment.” Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., told Politico “at minimum, it’s totally sloppy,” and Rep. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., told reporters “somebody f —-ed up.”
Contra
Some unnamed Trump administration officials said Trump is unlikely to fire anyone over the fiasco to avoid both the appearance of guilt and making the story larger, Axios reported. “All this talk you see about Waltz not lasting is just way premature. There’s a Washington feeding frenzy. And we all know that you don’t give the mob what it wants,” an unnamed senior White House official told Axios. Some Republicans have defended Waltz and Hegseth, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., telling reporters he has “full confidence” in Waltz after the incident. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted in a statement that “Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team.”
Key Background
The Trump administration admitted the error to The Atlantic in its Monday article, with National Security spokesperson Brian Hughes saying the conversation “appears to be an authentic message chain.” Goldberg detailed how he was added to the “Houthi PC small group” chat with officials including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth and Trump aide Stephen Miller on March 13, in which top Trump officials discussed “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” Trump initially denied any knowledge of the leak hours after it was made public by The Atlantic, telling reporters Monday “I don’t know anything about it,” adding that he’s “not a big fan of The Atlantic.”
Further Reading
Hegseth Says ‘Nobody Was Texting War Plans’ After Atlantic Editor Claims He Was Part Of Signal Chat (Forbes)
Trump Orders Military Strikes Against Houthis In Yemen And Threatens Iran (Forbes)