Trump defends Waltz, says this was the ‘only glitch’ since the start of his current administration
U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser has stated that he is taking “full responsibility” for an “embarrassing” incident involving the inclusion of a well-known magazine journalist in a group chat where senior U.S. officials were discussing potential military strikes against Houthi targets.
“We made an error. We are moving forward,” Mike Waltz remarked during an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Tuesday evening.
Waltz explained that he created the group chat on the Signal messaging app and emphasized that no aides were at fault.
The revelation emerged on Monday, prompting numerous inquiries about how such a situation could occur and why Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was included in the chat discussing military strategies. While government officials have utilized Signal for organizational communication, it is not classified and is susceptible to hacking. Privacy and technology experts assert that this widely used end-to-end encrypted messaging and voice call application offers greater security than traditional texting methods.
Waltz distanced himself from Goldberg
Waltz appeared to place some blame on Goldberg, who was invited to the Signal group chat where the military plans were being deliberated, suggesting that he “somehow [got] on somebody’s contact and then gets sucked into this group.”
Waltz denied having any personal acquaintance with Goldberg, whom he also criticized for his previous journalistic endeavors.
Additionally, the adviser attempted to redirect the conversation towards the broader objectives of the Trump administration in Washington. “Do we care about the mainstream media? Do we care about The Atlantic?” Waltz questioned.
“What matters to me is maintaining focus on our mission and achieving the president’s agenda,” he stated, while also commending Trump and his team in the White House.
Trump downplayed the recent incident involving Michael Waltz, referring to it as “the only glitch in two months” of his administration, amidst criticism from Democratic lawmakers regarding the careless handling of sensitive information.
Trump stated that the error “turned out not to be a serious one” and reaffirmed his support for Waltz.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump remarked. He also suggested that an unnamed aide of Waltz was responsible for adding Goldberg to the group chat, stating, “It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there.”
John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, expressed skepticism about any repercussions for those involved in the Signal incident, unless Trump himself faces political fallout. “I don’t think any of the people involved are going to suffer any disciplinary action from Donald Trump, unless Trump himself begins to sustain political damage from this,” Bolton, who previously served as Trump’s national security adviser, told Times Radio.
Barbara Starr, a former Pentagon correspondent raised concerns about the possibility of other similar incidents occurring beyond the one reported by The Atlantic. “We don’t know what else has gone on, what else has happened,” she stated .”
Susan Rice, who served as national security adviser under former President Barack Obama and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, echoed similar concerns. “Obviously, since nobody balked at the notion that they would have this conversation on the Signal app, it suggests very much that they do this all the time, that this is their normal modus operandi,” Rice commented on MSNBC.