U.S. President Donald Trump defended his senior advisor Michael Waltz after Waltz inadvertently included a magazine editor in a group chat discussing military operations, calling it a "glitch" and saying Waltz had "learned his lesson." This defense highlights the president's support for his staff amidst scrutiny.
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03-26, 2025Michael Waltz, who leads the White House National Security Council, added the journalist to a group on the instant messaging app Signal. Officials reportedly discussed a planned military operation in Yemen in the group earlier this month. The embarrassing error has sparked widespread concern in Washington over potential leaks of classified information, especially the sharing of potentially sensitive material using commercial applications. This incident raises questions about security protocols within the White House.
Trump, in an interview with NBC News, said, "Michael Waltz has learned his lesson, he's a good man." He described the error as "the only glitch in two months, and it turned out to be not serious" because it "had no impact" on a "perfectly successful" military operation. When asked how the journalist was added to the group chat, Trump said, "It was done on a phone by people under Michael. A staffer's phone number was there." The President downplayed the severity of the situation, emphasizing the operation's success.
Asked about the matter before a meeting with newly appointed ambassadors, Trump said Waltz was being unfairly attacked for the incident. "I don't think he should apologize. I think he's trying. It's a question of equipment and technology, and they're not perfect, and he probably won't be using it again, at least in the near future," Trump said. He said he had asked Waltz to investigate the app's usage. Waltz also stated at the meeting, "Yes, sir, we're investigating. We have technical experts and legal teams investigating, and of course, we'll do everything we can to make sure it's secure." He also said he had never communicated with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of *The Atlantic* magazine. "We're investigating and reviewing how he got into the group." The White House is taking steps to address the security concerns raised by the incident.
Meanwhile, senators used congressional committee hearings to question two officials allegedly involved in the group chat. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe both insisted before the Senate Intelligence Committee that no classified information was shared. But some senators expressed doubts. Independent Senator Angus King said, "I find it hard to believe that targets, times, and weapons would not be classified." Ratcliffe said the use of the Signal app was permitted and legal, "at least to my knowledge," but frustrated senators by repeatedly answering "I don't recall" when asked about the content of the discussions. He pushed back against the notion that the incident was a "huge mistake," prompting Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff to say, "This is completely unprofessional. There's no apology and no recognition of the gravity of this error. And by the way, we're going to get the full record of this chain, and your testimony will be carefully weighed against its contents." The Senate is taking the matter seriously and will continue to investigate.
Gabbard declined to discuss specific details, such as whether she used a personal phone or a government-issued device to participate in the chat. "I'm not going to talk about it because it's under review by the National Security Council," she said. "Once the review is complete, I'm sure we'll share the results with the committee." Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the committee's vice chairman, said that if a military officer or intelligence official had made the same mistake, they would be fired. He said it was just the latest in a series of dangerous decisions by the White House, including cutting foreign aid to security programs and firing staff overseeing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The senators are concerned about the broader implications of this incident and other White House decisions.
Senator Warner stated that these decisions are damaging trust with allies such as the Five Eyes alliance, which consists of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "Organizations like the Five Eyes are built on decades of trust, but that trust is now frequently broken overnight," Senator Warner said. The potential erosion of trust with key allies is a significant concern for national security.
The White House responded to the incident with a public relations offensive, attacking the editor who was included in the chat and describing the related reporting as "a coordinated effort to distract from President Trump's accomplishments." Trump's spokeswoman, Caroline Levitt, posted online that "Jeffrey Goldberg is known for his sensationalistic hype," adding that "no war plans were discussed." Her comments echoed earlier remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called Goldberg "a deceptive and highly discredited so-called journalist." Goldberg defended the reporting. "He (Hegseth) is sending attack plans - when to hit targets; how to hit targets; who's at the targets; when the next sequence of attacks is happening," he told CNN. The White House is actively trying to control the narrative surrounding the incident.
