White House national security adviser Mike Waltz has set up multiple group chats during his time in the position, it has been claimed, including the one that discussed US military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, according to a recent report. Donald Trump acknowledged that Mr Waltz was the initial cause of the shocking breach that accidentally included a journalist in the security group chat.
The Wall Street Journal has now reported that the security adviser also organised other group chats, described as “other sensitive national-security conversations on Signal” – an encrypted messaging app – citing two US officials. Top officials officials told the outlet that he created “separate threads on how to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, as well as military operations”. Mr Waltz, a Green Beret veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard, has taken “full responsibility” for setting up the Signal group chat. One White House insider labelled him a “f***ing idiot” after the group chat was made public.
The White House since launched a fierce attack on Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg – the journalist accidentally added to the chat – even targeting his wife.
Mr Trump has also consistently expressed confidence in Mr Waltz, with the White House saying that he is “firmly behind” his national security adviser.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the case is now “closed”, despite Republican and Democratic senators requesting the Pentagon’s Inspector General to investigate it.
The White House also confirmed that the national security counsel is investigating how the journalist was added to the group chat.
Ms Leavitt said: “As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,’ and ‘this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.
“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again. We’re moving forward.
“And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.”
