WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump’s National Security adviser Mike Waltz has left the group chat, so-to-speak. Waltz created controversy back in March when he accidentally added the Atlantic editor to a group chat with other top security officials and cabinet members. They reportedly shared details of a military attack in Yemen in that group chat. Waltz has now been nominated as the US Ambassador to the United Nations.
It’s become known as “Signal-gate” and congressional members on both sides have aired concerns about security officials disregarding information security practices.
We asked Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY), who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, about Waltz’s departure shortly after the news broke.
“I had concerns about Mike Waltz in the position that he had for his lack of experience,” said the Senator. “He had a lack of deep national security capability and experience and the Signal-gate scandal is a perfect example of why we had concerns of him doing his job in the first place. So, I think it is appropriate he is stepping down.”
Other congressional Democrats feel that the White House is using Waltz as a scapegoat and believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should get the boot, too. Hegseth reportedly also shared similar sensitive information in a separate signal chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
On the Hill, House Republicans recently blocked an effort by Democrats to launch an inquiry into Secretary Hegseth’s use of Signal. Representative Jack Bergman (R- MI), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Democrats tried to use this inquiry loophole to embarrass the Administration.
“I am fully confident that the inspector general will do a complete and thorough investigation into what happened and they will lay it out for what it is and then we’ll see,” said Rep. Bergman.
New York Representative Elise Stefanik (R- NY) was supposed to take the US Ambassador to the UN spot, but will remain in Congress because of the House’s slim Republican majority. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will now take over as the National Security Adviser. Rubio is already the acting Administrator of USAID and the acting Archivist of the United States.
