US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has publicly accepted full responsibility for a significant security breach involving a group chat where high-ranking officials discussed military strategies for Yemen. The chat incident, which included a journalist who was inadvertently added, has raised serious concerns within political circles.
In an interview with Fox News, Waltz stated, “I take full responsibility. I built the group,” expressing his embarrassment over the situation. Despite the gravity of the leak, both President Donald Trump and US intelligence officials have downplayed the potential security risks, asserting that no classified information was disseminated during the conversation.
Details of the Incident
Calls for an investigation have emerged from both Democratic and some Republican lawmakers, labeling the incident a significant breach of protocol. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of Atlantic magazine, revealed that he was mistakenly added to the Signal chat by Waltz. In a subsequent article, he detailed having access to classified military plans, including the specifics of weapons packages and target timings, just two hours prior to the operations.
During the interview, Waltz was unable to clarify how Goldberg’s presence in the chat occurred, asserting that a member of his staff was not to blame. He indicated that another unnamed contact was meant to participate in Goldberg’s stead. “We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened,” he noted, emphasizing that he had no prior knowledge of Goldberg, whose number was not stored in his phone.
Political Repercussions
President Trump responded to the incident, labeling it a mere “glitch” with “no impact at all” on operations. He explained that someone associated with Waltz at a lower level had inadvertently shared Goldberg’s contact information. During a Senate hearing, both US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe denied sharing any classified content in the message chain.
The Signal group chat featured other notable figures, including Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Mark Warner, the Democratic vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the Trump administration’s approach to national security, stating, “This Signal chat situation sheds light on a sloppy and grossly incompetent national security strategy.”
The fallout from the leak has prompted legal action, with American Oversight, a non-partisan watchdog group, filing a lawsuit against the officials involved. The group alleges violations of the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act, asserting that the auto-delete function of the chat breached laws requiring officials to preserve their records.
National security experts have voiced their concerns regarding the implications of discussing sensitive matters on a civilian messaging platform, with some labeling it a major operational failure. Additionally, the National Security Agency had recently cautioned employees about vulnerabilities associated with Signal, raising further questions about the security of using such applications for official communications.
The incident has sent shockwaves through Washington, leading to heightened scrutiny over the handling of classified information and the protocols surrounding national security communications.