U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has acknowledged full responsibility for an embarrassing incident where a well-known magazine journalist was inadvertently included in a group chat discussing pending strike plans against Houthi targets by senior U.S. officials. Waltz admitted to the error during an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News and clarified that he created the group chat on the Signal messenger app with no aide at fault.
The revelation, which emerged on Monday, raised significant concerns about the circumstances that led to the journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, being added to the chat. Although Signal offers encrypted communications, it is not authorized for handling classified information, as messages can still be accessed through a compromised or unlocked device.
During the interview, Waltz distanced himself from Goldberg, suggesting that the journalist might have been inadvertently added to the group chat by someone within their contacts. Waltz emphasized the importance of focusing on the administration’s mission and goals rather than getting distracted by media controversies.
President Trump played down the incident, describing it as a minor hiccup in his administration. He expressed support for Waltz, stating that the adviser had learned from the situation. Trump hinted at an unnamed aide being responsible for adding Goldberg to the chat, asserting that it was a staff member’s error.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, believed that there would likely be no repercussions for the individuals involved unless the President faced political fallout from the incident. The Signal scandal prompted questions about potential similar occurrences beyond the known case, with concerns raised by experts like Barbara Starr and Susan Rice about the frequency of sensitive discussions on unofficial platforms like Signal among government officials.
