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The US national security adviser admits a reporter was inadvertently included in confidential discussions.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has accepted “full responsibility” for the accidental inclusion of a journalist in a leaked Signal group chat where senior White House officials were discussing planned military actions in Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, released a story on Monday detailing alleged discussions among high-ranking officials in President Donald Trump’s administration regarding military strategies aimed at Houthi rebels.
“I take full responsibility. I created the group,” Waltz stated during a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday.
“It’s embarrassing, and we are investigating how this happened.”
In his article, Goldberg mentioned gaining access to a Signal group chat from an individual identified as “Mike Waltz.” The chat, named “Houthi PC small group,” reportedly featured Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with other cabinet members.
During the interview, Waltz was unable to explain how Goldberg gained entry to the chat, suggesting that an unnamed contact – who was intended to be added – was possibly confused with Goldberg.
“We have our best tech experts looking into how this occurred,” Waltz said, emphasizing that Goldberg’s number was not in his contact list.
“I can assure you 100% that I do not know this man,” Waltz clarified, further mentioning he contacted Elon Musk for assistance in determining the cause of the error.
When questioned by Laura Ingraham about the number’s addition, Waltz responded, “Well, if you have someone’s contact information, it can somehow… be pulled in. It gets pulled in.”
Trump dismissed the leak, describing it as a “glitch” that had “no impact at all” on the military operation, emphasizing that no classified information was revealed.
When questioned about the story at the White House on Monday, the US president appeared nonchalant and criticized The Atlantic’s involvement.
“I am unaware of the matter. I’m not a big fan of the Atlantic,” Trump told reporters. “In my opinion, it’s a failing magazine. I don’t think much of it, but I have no knowledge of the situation.”
Trump defended Waltz in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday, confirming that the national security adviser would not be dismissed as a result of the incident.
“He will not be fired,” Trump told Fox, referring to the security breach as a “mistake” and asserting that the Signal chat contained “nothing important.”