Image attribution:
 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
|
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Tuesday took full responsibility for accidentally adding a journalist to a private Signal chat discussing strike plans against the Houthis in Yemen.
Waltz made the admission during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, stating, “I take full responsibility. I built the group.”
The mishap occurred when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to a group chat involving top officials such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
The chat, titled “Houthi PC Small Group,” reportedly contained discussions about upcoming strikes in Yemen.
President Donald Trump addressed the incident, making it clear that Waltz would not be fired over what he called a “mistake” and downplaying the severity of the leak. “He’s not getting fired,” Trump told Fox News.
“There was nothing important in the Signal text thread.” Trump added that the incident had “no impact at all” on the strike in Yemen, which he declared a success.
Waltz, while accepting responsibility, also hinted at the possibility of a deliberate act by Goldberg, although he admitted the cause of the mistake was still under investigation.
“Now, whether he did it deliberately or it happened in some other technical means is something we’re trying to figure out,” Waltz explained. “We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened.”
Waltz has been adamant that he does not know Goldberg personally, referring to him as “the bottom scum of journalists.” He accused Goldberg of having a longstanding hatred for President Trump, adding, “Somehow this guy—who has lied about the president, who has lied to Gold Star families, and gone to all kinds of lengths to smear the president of the United States—is the one who ends up on somebody’s contact and then gets sucked into this group.”
In response to the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that “No ‘war plans’ were discussed” in the chat, emphasizing that “no classified material was sent to the thread.”
She praised the successful operation against the Houthis, calling it a testament to “the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump.”
Despite Democrats calling for Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign over the incident, Trump’s support for Waltz appears unwavering.
Waltz, meanwhile, acknowledged that the incident was a learning experience, stating, “We made a mistake. We’re moving forward, and we’re going to continue to knock it out of the park for this president.”