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Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump: I've axed Mike Waltz as national security chief
Donald Trump has announced he is removing his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and appointing him instead to the role of UN ambassador. The announcement followed hours of breathless speculation that Mr Waltz was being ousted entirely by the Trump administration. The reshuffle will be viewed by many as a demotion for Mr Waltz, with Mr Trump having little interest in the affairs of the UN. The move is viewed partly as a response to the Signal-gate fiasco, in which Mr Waltz accidentally leaked military plans to a journalist. Mr Trump said that Mr Waltz had 'worked hard to put our nation's interests first' in a post on his Truth Social platform. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, will take on his role temporarily while remaining in his role as the nation's top diplomat. 'From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my national security adviser, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first,' Mr Trump said. 'I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as national security adviser, while continuing his strong leadership at the state department.' The US president chose not to dismiss his national security adviser, the first Green Beret elected to Congress, in the direct aftermath of the Signal-gate furore, insisting he had 'learnt a lesson, and is a good man'. However, members of the administration privately called for the resignation of Mr Waltz, who took 'full responsibility' for adding Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of Atlantic Magazine, to a Signal chat for top members of the Trump administration, used to plan a strike on the Houthis. Mr Waltz's hawkish views on Russia were out of step with the isolationist faction of Maga, which viewed him with Monday, Mr Waltz is said to have argued for sharp sanctions against Russia if it fails to agree a ceasefire with Ukraine, a proposal to which the president is said to be resistant. He worked his way into the president's good graces during the former president's time in exile after his 2020 election defeat and became a regular advocate for Mr Trump on cable TV. The Signal-gate scandal is said to have soured his relationship with Mr Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles. The president delayed sacking his national security adviser so as to avoid handing a scalp to the liberal media. Mr Waltz has remained on shaky ground, losing much of his influence in the West Wing, and his standing never really recovered, according to CNN. Central to his reduction in stature was Ms Wiles, who is said to be one of the officials most unimpressed with Mr Waltz, who struggled to manage his sprawling foreign policy brief. 'The system isn't running properly,' under Mr Waltz, a source said. Speaking in the Rose Garden yesterday afternoon, Mr Rubio and Pete Hegseth, who was also seen as vulnerable after Signal-gate, were praised by the president. Instrumental to the decision to oust Mr Waltz from his current role is thought to be Laura Loomer, the conservative conspiracy theorist, who has made him a target since his appointment in January. In April, she marched into a White House meeting with a sheaf of papers accusing members of his top team of being insufficiently loyal to the 'Make America Great Again' agenda. As a result, Mr Waltz was forced to fire six national security officials. A long-term supporter of Mr Trump, Ms Loomer was one of his most vicious online enforcers during the 2024 campaign. 'Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz alose depart,' she wrote on X. Thanks for following the updates here. This live blog is now closed. Mike Waltz faces 'brutal' confirmation hearings to become the US ambassador to the UN, Democrats have said. Mr Waltz will need to be confirmed to the position by a Senate vote, and will almost inevitably be grilled over his role in the Signal-gate disaster, where he accidentally leaked military plans to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. 'I think it would be pretty brutal,' Mark Warner, a Democrat senator, told NBC. John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, told the BBC: 'Signal-gate will now be a major part of Mike Waltz's confirmation process.' John Bolton, Donald Trump's third national security adviser in his third term, has said Mike Waltz's ousting is a sign of the US president's 'chaotic' administration. He wrote in The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump's chaotic national-security governance is in full flood. Whether it's risking American military operations, making volatile, highly dubious tariff decisions, hiring uninformed senior advisers, or seeing senior government officials dissenting from presidential decisions, the disarray is palpable and likely to spread. It did Thursday, with the ouster of national security adviser Mike Waltz. Mike Waltz has issued a brief statement after being ousted as US national security adviser: And there we have it. After staying silent on the issue so far, Mr Trump has now announced that Mike Waltz will go to New York to be his permanent representative to the UN, while Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, will wear two hats and act temporarily as national security adviser. Mr Trump is desperate for this administration not to go the same way as his chaotic first. He managed to wait 101 days before making a major change to his top team. And rather than dumping Mr Waltz entirely he has found a face-saving post elsewhere (albeit a demotion). That is a reflection of how tight this team is and is something of a reward for a figure who has remained totally loyal up to this point. At the same time, Mr Rubio, who as a more traditional conservative hawk may have wondered if he too were on thin ice, takes on more responsibility. That will reassure European allies that Mr Trump has grown-ups in key places and shows that Mr Rubio is safe in his role. Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, was 'barely' on speaking terms with Mike Waltz, Politico reports. Officials are said to have been alarmed at how his authority drained away following the Signal-gate fiasco as Laura Loomer, the Right-wing activist, convinced Donald Trump to sack key members of his national security team. Approached by the news outlet amid reports of Mr Waltz's ousting, Ms Loomer replied: 'Loomered.' Mike Waltz deserved to lose his job, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has said, adding that Pete Hegseth should be fired too. 'Look, they should fire him, but they're firing the wrong guy. They should be firing Hegseth,' Mr Schumer told reporters. Arizona senator Mark Kelly also called for Mr Hegseth's dismissal. 'I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable,' he said, adding that he thought Mr Waltz accidentally including a journalist on Signal was an 'unfortunate mistake' but that he found it most troubling that Mr Hegseth shared 'incredibly sensitive information about a strike off of an aircraft carrier, putting pilots at risk'. Following the Signal-gate leak, Maga faithful lined up to back Mr Hegseth, leaving Mr Waltz to take the fall. Mike Waltz quit as national security adviser after his relationship soured with Donald Trump's chief of staff. Relations between Susie Wiles, nicknamed the president's 'Ice Maiden', and Mr Waltz reportedly became strained, even before the Signal-gate Fiasco. Mr Trump had considered firing his national security adviser after Mr Waltz leaked military plans to a journalist, but he refrained to avoid providing fodder to his opponents, according to CNN. Yet Mr Waltz remained on shaky ground, losing much of his influence in the West Wing, and his standing never really recovered, four sources told the outlet. Central to his reduction in stature was Ms Wiles, who was allegedly one of the officials most unimpressed with Mr Waltz. Speaking in the Rose Garden at an event to mark the National Day of Prayer, Donald Trump made a point to say that Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, was doing a 'great job'. The president reeled off members of his cabinet and congratulated them for their good work, missing out Mike Waltz. However, he was quick to mention Mr Hegseth, who is also vulnerable. The defence secretary was part of the Signal group chat into which Mr Waltz mistakenly added a journalist. Mr Hegseth discussed sensitive information including times and locations of Houthi strikes. In recent weeks, the Pentagon boss has been the subject of a myriad of negative headlines claiming he is disorganised and unprofessional. The Trump administration and the president himself have repeatedly reassured Mr Hegseth's job is safe. Mike Waltz's ousting comes after Laura Loomer purged his staff last month. Responding to today's announcement, Ms Loomer said that 'hopefully' the rest of Mr Waltz's staff are also forced out. The Right-wing conspiracy theorist has targeted Mr Waltz, marching into a White House meeting in April with a sheaf of papers accusing members of his top team of being insufficiently loyal to the 'Make America Great Again' agenda. As a result, Mr Waltz was forced to fire six national security officials. A long-term supporter of Mr Trump, Ms Loomer was one of his most vicious online enforcers during the 2024 campaign. Mike Waltz struggled to manage his sprawling foreign policy brief, a source told the AP. A person familiar with the cabinet's internal dynamics said Mr Waltz was too hawkish for the war-averse Trump and was seen as not effectively coordinating foreign policy among a variety of agencies, a key role for the national security adviser. 'The system isn't running properly,' under Mr Waltz, the source said. Mike Waltz gave up his seat in the House of Representatives to take on the role of national security adviser in Mr Trump's top team. He was previously the representative for Florida's 6th congressional district. He was replaced by Republican Randy Fine. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, is the clear front-runner to replace Mike Waltz as national security considered to be one of Donald Trump's closet confidants, he's been credit with securing a peace deal in Gaza and been at the forefront of negotiations in no decision is final until Mr Trump pulls the trigger. In the meantime, Marco Rubio, the high-flying secretary of state, is being eyed up to replace Waltz on a temporary basis, the The Telegraph understands. Christopher Landau, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, is also among replacement options, according to a White House source. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and British media host Seb Gorka may also be in the running, owing to their firm commitment to the president's vision, Trump allies told CBS. Donald Trump likes to fill his Cabinets with conflicting views, setting up key figures to argue against each other before he makes the final decision. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret with hawkish views on Russia, was often out of step with the isolationist Maga world, which viewed him with suspicion as a neo-con. But Mr Waltz had worked his way into the Trump orbit during the former president's time in exile after the 2020 election defeat. He became a regular booster for Mr Trump on cable TV and, with his political base in Florida, he was a natural fit for the tight circle that grew up around Mar-a-Lago. However, after the Signal-gate debacle, reports surfaced that his working relationship with Susie Wiles, a big beast of Florida politics and White House chief of staff, had soured. The result was that he was living on borrowed time, left in limbo while Mr Trump delayed a final decision so it would not look as if he were bowing to media pressure. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris's pick for vice-president, posted on X: 'Mike Waltz has left the chat.' The post is a reference to a Signal group chat, into which Mr Waltz erroneously added Jeffery Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic. The chat, which also contained Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, and Mr Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, was used to discuss sensitive information on Houthi strikes. At the time, Mr Waltz took responsibility for the error and apologised. Mr Trump and his team insisted Mr Waltz would not be let go over the 'huge mistake'. Donald Trump is speaking at the White House Rose Garden. It is not clear whether he will address the departure of Mike Waltz. Mike Waltz reportedly argued for sanctions on Russia as recently as Monday. Mr Waltz, who has long been viewed by some in Donald Trump's top team as too hawkish to implement the president's brand of foreign policy, is reported to have frequently urged sanctions on Russia. The national security adviser apparently asked Mr Trump to take tougher action on Monday, according to the New York Times. Although Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened sanctions on social media, no action has so-far been taken as the US attempts to thrash out a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. A senior White House source said: 'Nothing is final until it is announced.' Both Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, who was also seen as vulnerable after Signal-gate, were at the White House on Thursday for National Prayer Day. Eyebrows were raised earlier this week when Mike Waltz did not join the president on board Air Force One. According to CNN, the ousted national security adviser joined Mr Trump in Marine One but when he left the helicopter, Mr Waltz did not join him. The network also reported Mr Waltz was warned his job was on the line but had been 'fighting all week' to keep it. Mike Waltz is the second member of the House of Representatives pulled into Donald Trump's cabinet who now no longer has a seat. The former Florida representative has been ousted as national security adviser, The Telegraph understands. His exit follows Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman, who withdrew from being confirmed as defence secretary. Elise Stefanik, the New York congresswoman, was also due to be drafted in as Mr Trump's ambassador to the UN, but was forced to withdraw amid concern that the Republicans could lose control of the House in the midterms. When members of Congress enter the administration, they are forced to give up their House seats. With Democrats holding a narrow seven seat majority in the House, Mr Trump's decision to draft in members for his cabinet could leave his party exposed in next year's midterm elections. Mike Waltz was sent out on the airwaves to bat for Donald Trump just hours before it was revealed he is leaving the administration. Mr Waltz heaped praise on Mr Trump and Pete Hegseth, his defence secretary, in an interview with Fox News just this morning. 'Nobody said (it) could be done. President Trump said 'get it done',' he said about Mr Trump's minerals deal with Ukraine, showing no awareness of his imminent departure. Saying Mr Trump has boosted US military recruitment, he added: 'This is leadership at its finest, led by our commander in chief, who loves the troops and they love him.' News of Mike Waltz leaving Donald Trump's cabinet comes after the national security adviser accidentally added a journalist to a group chat where members of Mr Trump's cabinet discussed plans to bomb Yemen. Mr Waltz became the subject of a briefing war among Republicans after it emerged he was the one who invited Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic, to the Signal messaging forum. Mike Waltz is the first person to officially be ousted from the second Trump administration. During his first term, Donald Trump had record-breaking turnover levels with around 60 per cent of his team thought to have been let go. Michael Flynn, Mr Trump's first national security adviser, lasted just 25 days. He was forced to resign in February 2017 after it emerged he had lied to Mike Pence, the vice-president at the time, about his contact with Russia during the transition period. Marco Rubio, the high-flying secretary of state, is being eyed up to replace Mike Waltz on a temporary basis, The Telegraph understands. Christopher Landau, the United States deputy secretary of state, is also a likely replacement, according to a White House source. Alex Wong, the US principal deputy national security adviser, spent last night defending Donald Trump. 'We are moving forward on a broad set of policies, a broad set of priorities, whether it's security, whether it's trade to make America stronger, and again, when America is stronger, so are our partners, and the world is safe,' he told BBC Newsnight. Mr Wong and Mike Waltz, Mr Trump's national security adviser, have today left office, The Telegraph understands. Mr Waltz, a neoconservative Republican who has taken a hawkish stance on China, Iran and Ukraine, was already reported to be in a perilous position within the Trump cabinet. The New York Times reported earlier this month that people close to Mr Trump viewed Mr Waltz as a potential early casualty, even as he takes part in negotiations to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Three sources told the paper that Mr Trump was suspicious of Mr Waltz's previous firm backing for Ukraine, criticism of Vladimir Putin and earlier backing of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Mr Waltz helped his case by describing Volodymyr Zelensky as like an 'ex-girlfriend that wants to argue', falling more in line with the style of Mr Trump who has been critical of the Ukrainian president. Donald Trump is acting 'in the best interest of the American people', a state department spokesman said, amid reports his national security adviser has quit. The Telegraph understands that Milke Waltz has become the first member of Mr Trump's cabinet to leave the administration. Addressing reports that Mr Waltz has been pushed out, Tammy Bruce said that the president is 'hands on' about who he chooses to advise him. 'The President is engaged in every aspect of the country, and the choices he makes moving forward will be, as usual, excellent and will be in the best interest of the American people,' Ms Bruce said. She declined to get ahead of an official White House announcement on the decision, which is expected to come during a Trump speech in the coming hours. Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's national security adviser, will leave his role amid reports the president was preparing to fire him. Mr Waltz, who faced calls to resign after accidentally leaking top secret war plans to a journalist in a Signal group chat, will leave his job along with his deputy Alex Wong. A White House source told The Telegraph that Mr Waltz was 'out' although it remains unclear if he will resign or has been sacked by Mr Trump. Donald Trump had been preparing to fire his national security adviser as early as today amid unhappiness over his performance, according to reports. According to Politico, the leading candidate to replace Mike Waltz is special envoy Steve Witkoff. We're bringing you the latest updates and reaction as Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's national security adviser, steps down following reports he would be fired. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mike Waltz, former Florida rep, to exit Trump White House. What we know
A month after taking responsibility for accidentally inviting the editor-in-chief of Atlantic Magazine into an online chat between top national security officials to discuss operational details for airstrikes in Yemen, President Donald Trump's national security advisor and former Florida congressman Mike Waltz will be stepping down. A source familiar with the situation on May 1 confirmed Waltz's exit, as well as deputy national security advisor Alex Wong, USA TODAY reported Thursday. Trump had publicly backed Waltz and other members of the chat, including embattled Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, after they vigorously denied sharing any classified war plans on the publicly available app Signal. The Atlantic editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, published a March 24 story revealing the lapse and followed up with another showing screenshots of the discussion. But the embarrassing revelation, which became known as "Signalgate," strained an administration that is already seeing a drop in polls. No official announcement has yet been made. Waltz's departure comes 102 days into Trump's second term, making him the first high-ranking administration official to leave since the president's inauguration. However, he beat Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who Trump fired 24 days into the job during his first term in February 2017. Anthony Scaramucci, one of Trump's White House communications directors during his first term who famously lasted 11 days before Trump fired him, posted on X that Waltz "lasted 9.2 Scaramuccis." On Wednesday, Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, was reassigned to work on special projects at the Pentagon, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. In late March, he vowed to crack down on leaks. Two aides to Hegseth, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick were placed on administrative leave last week as part of an investigation into unauthorized leaks. "Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart," far-right activist Laura Loomer said in a post on X shortly after news broke about Waltz's exit. It is not yet known if Loomer, who has been advising Trump and recently encouraged him to fire two senior officials on the National Security Council, had any involvement in Waltz's departure. There has been no word on whether former Fox host and current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be affected by Signalgate. Hegseth is the focus of a Pentagon Inspector General's review of his handling of sensitive military information. Hegseth has strongly denied that any classified information was shared in the Signal chat. The defense secretary faces increased scrutiny over communications after a new report last week that he shared the timing of U.S. air strikes on Houthi rebels with his wife and brother on the same encrypted commercial messaging app. In April, Hegseth fired several top aides for allegedly disclosing sensitive information. Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell blamed them and the 'Trump-hating media' for reporting on the chats. 'U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen,' Goldberg, wrote in an article on March 24. 'I didn't think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.' The Associated Press reported that the National Security Council said the messages appeared 'to be authentic.' Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Waltz Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was in the text chain, told reporters that 'Nobody was texting war plans and that's all I have to say about that.' Waltz said he'd never met Goldberg and was investigating to see how the mixup happened. By the next night, as the story raged across the news and social media, Waltz backtracked on his claim that he wasn't to blame for the group chat mistake, telling FOX News that he took "full responsibility" for the chat that included The Atlantic editor, who he still said he didn't know outside of his "horrible reputation." "I take full responsibility. I built the group," Waltz said on FOX's "The Ingraham Angle." "It's embarrassing. We're going to get to the bottom of it." Signal is an encrypted messaging app available to anyone for free in Apple and Google app stores. Since launching in 2014, the app has garnered a reputation as one of the most secure messaging platforms in the world. That's because it has no ads, does not track users' data and does not store any metadata such as timestamps, internet addresses or group names. Signal has become popular among activists, revolutionaries, politicians, journalists and even criminals who may have an interest in keeping government agencies from intercepting or subpoenaing their messages. However, Signal is not officially approved for use by elected and appointed public officials in the United States doing government business, experts said. Democratic lawmakers and some security experts have raised the alarm that national security information, under U.S. law, should only be shared through the government's own approved secure platforms. Since Signal deletes messages by default, there are also questions about the use of it to avoid permanent copies of governmental actions, which are also required by law. Mike Waltz is a decorated Green Beret combat veteran who served three terms as a Florida congressman from Florida's 6th District and won a fourth in November before stepping down to join the Trump administration. Waltz has held civilian positions at the Pentagon, served as chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness in addition to the House Intelligence Committee and House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and has supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' war on "wokeness" and Trump's "America First" view of foreign relations. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mike Waltz a Signalgate casualty, leaving Trump administration
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Top Trump official ousted after chat group scandal: Reports
WASHINGTON: 's national security advisor is to leave his post -- the first major departure of the president's new term -- after being embroiled in a scandal over a chat group leak, US media reported Thursday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now and his deputy were both set to leave the White House , CBS News and others reported, while Fox News said Trump was expected to comment on the matter soon. The 51-year-old former congressman from Florida lasted just over 100 days of Trump's second term, which has so far been more stable in terms of personnel than his first. Trump cycled through four national security advisors during his first presidency. A White House official did not confirm the reports, saying they "do not want to get ahead of any announcement." Waltz showed no sign that he knew of his imminent departure when appearing early Wednesday on Fox News, where he hailed the new US minerals deal with Ukraine. "Nobody said (it) could be done. President Trump said 'get it done'," he said. Saying Trump has boosted US military recruitment, he added: "This is leadership at its finest, led by our commander in chief, who loves the troops and they love him." Waltz also was present at Trump's televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday. A former special forces officer, Waltz was seen as a moderate voice in the Trump administration when he was appointed, but reportedly clashed with other officials over his hawkish stance against Russia and Iran. Trump has pushed for Ukraine to reach a quick ceasefire deal with Russia, while reopening negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. Chat group blunder: Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate whom Trump has picked to lead US talks with both Russia and Iran, is in contention to replace Waltz, US media reported. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Waltz had been under pressure since late March, when the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic Magazine revealed he had been mistakenly added to a chat on the commercial messaging app Signal about military attacks on Yemen's Huthi rebels. Officials on the chat laid out the attack plan including the timings that US warplanes would take off to bomb targets, with the first texts barely half an hour before they launched. Despite intense media speculation that Trump would fire Waltz over the scandal, the president repeatedly offered his backing and the national security advisor appeared to have ridden out the storm. However, Waltz was among a number of White House staff targeted by a right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist who met with Trump urging a purge. Laura Loomer , who is known for claiming that the September 11, 2001 attacks were an inside job, is reported to have successfully pushed for the dismissal of several senior US security officials she deemed disloyal to the president. After news of Waltz and Wong's ouster was reported Thursday, Loomer posted on X: "SCALP." Defense Secretary has also faced pressure over the scandal. "1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)", Hegseth wrote in one text, referring to F/A-18 US Navy jets, before adding that "Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME." "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier 'Trigger Based' targets)." A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target "walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed." Reacting to Waltz's reported dismissal on Thursday, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X: "Now do Hegseth."
New Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Top Trump official exiting after chat group scandal
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's national security advisor is to leave his post – the first major departure of the president's new term – after being embroiled in a scandal over a chat group leak, US media reported Thursday. Mike Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were both set to leave the White House, CBS News reported, while Fox News said Trump was expected to comment on the matter soon. The 51-year-old former US congressman from Florida lasted just over 100 days of Trump's second term, which has so far been more stable in terms of personnel than his first. Trump cycled through four national security advisors during his first presidency. A White House official did not confirm the reports, saying they "do not want to get ahead of any announcement." Waltz showed no sign that he knew of his imminent departure when appearing on Fox News early Wednesday, hailing the new minerals deal with Ukraine. "Nobody said (it) could be done. President Trump said 'get it done'," he said. Saying Trump has boosted US military recruitment, he added: "I'm so excited about this. This is leadership at its finest, led by our commander in chief, who loves the troops and they love him." Waltz, a noted foreign policy hawk and former US special forces officer, was seen as a moderate voice in the Trump administration when he was appointed. Trump had repeatedly offered vocal backing of Waltz after the scandal broke in late March. But Waltz had been under pressure since the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic Magazine revealed he had been mistakenly added to a chat on the commercial messaging app Signal about military attacks on Yemen's Huthi rebels. Officials on the chat laid out the attack plan including the timings that US warplanes would take off to bomb targets, with the first texts barely half an hour before they launched. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also faced pressure over the scandal. "1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)", Hegseth wrote in one text, referring to F/A-18 US Navy jets, before adding that "Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME." "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier 'Trigger Based' targets)." A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target "walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed."
France 24
01-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to step down in major shakeup over chat scandal
US President Donald Trump 's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is to leave his post following a scandal in which a journalist was accidentally included on a chat between officials about air strikes on Yemen, US media reported. Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were both set to leave, CBS News reported, while Fox News said Trump was expected to comment on the matter soon. The former US congressman is the first major official to leave the administration in Trump's second term, which has so far been more stable in terms of personnel than his first. A White House official did not confirm the reports, saying they "do not want to get ahead of any announcement". Waltz had been under pressure since the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic Magazine revealed in March that Waltz had mistakenly added him to a chat on the commercial messaging app Signal about attacks on Houthi rebels. Officials on the chat laid out the attack plan including the timings that US warplanes would take off to bomb targets in Yemen, with the first texts barely half an hour before they launched. 02:41 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also faced pressure over the scandal. "1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)", Hegseth wrote in one text, referring to F/A-18 US Navy jets, before adding that "Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME." "1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier 'Trigger Based' targets)." A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target "walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed". It was not immediately clear who would take over from Waltz, but one option included US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in both Russia-Ukraine diplomacy as well as the Middle East, a source said.
