National security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump said he was taking “full responsibility” for “embarrassing” situations when a prominent magazine reporter was added to a group chat, in which senior U.S. officials were discussing strike plans for the Houthi target.
“We made a mistake.
Walz said he set up a group chat on the Signal Messenger app without an assistant.
The news broke out on Monday and raised many questions about how this could happen first and why Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg will be added to the text chat.
Government officials have used signals to organize signals, but they are not classified and can be hacked. Privacy and tech experts say the popular end-to-end encrypted messaging and voice calling apps are safer than traditional texting.
Waltz denied knowing journalists
In the same Fox News interview, Waltz also seemed to blame Goldberg for [getting] In someone’s contact, then being attracted to this group. ”
Waltz denied knowing Goldberg, and he criticized Goldberg separately for his previous work as a journalist.
The adviser also sought to guide attention to the Trump administration’s broad goals in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump claims that there is no confidential information in the group chat, including journalists. Former CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr discusses the meaning of the leak with Ian Hanomansing.
“Do we care about mainstream media? Do we care about the Atlantic Ocean?” asked Waltz.
“I care about focusing on the mission and completing the president’s agenda,” Waltz said. Waltz also praised Trump and the team around the White House.
Waltz ‘learned a lesson’: Trump
Trump downplayed the incident on Tuesday, calling it “the only malfunction in two months” by his administration, with Democratic lawmakers criticizing the administration for accidentally handling highly sensitive information.
Trump told NBC News that “it turned out not to be serious news” and expressed his continued support for Waltz.
“Michael Waltz learned his lesson, he is a good guy,” Trump told the Internet.
He also appears to blame Goldberg for being added to the group chat, blaming the waltz assistant who declined to be named. “This is one of the guys Michael is on the phone. One employee has a phone number there.”
Democratic senators expressed doubts after the Trump administration testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Barbara Starr, CNN’s former Pentagon correspondent, said the signal scandal raised questions about whether other events occurred outside the Atlantic reported events.
“We don’t know what else is going on,” she told CBC News Tuesday night.
“Are there any other instances? It’s unlikely that they’ll be the first time they decided to signal together.”
