US NSA sacked after Signal chat blunder
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans, according to two people familiar with the matter Thursday, marking the first major staff shakeup of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
The Signal chain also showed that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop.
A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart.
According to one source speaking to media, one potential option for Mike Waltz’s replacement as national security adviser is Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy working on peace in West Asia.
