Mike Waltz takes responsibility for adding journalist to group chat leaking military plans
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz has accepted “full responsibility” for mistakenly adding a journalist to a Signal group chat that exposed sensitive details about U.S. military plans. The group included top administration officials discussing airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The controversy began when Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he had been added to a Signal group containing Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others. Goldberg remained in the chat unnoticed while officials reportedly discussed operational plans—an extraordinary breach that sparked serious national security concerns.
In an interview with Fox News, Waltz admitted he created the group and described the incident as “embarrassing,” while also deflecting blame. He lashed out at Goldberg, calling him the “bottom scum of journalists,” and claimed he didn’t realize the editor had been added. “It looked like someone else,” he said, suggesting the mix-up may have been due to a technical issue—or even Goldberg’s own actions—though he offered no evidence.
Despite Waltz denying staff involvement, Trump gave a conflicting account in a Newsmax interview, saying the leak may have come from a lower-level aide who had Goldberg’s number. Trump defended Waltz as a “good man” who had “learned a lesson,” and downplayed the breach as “the only glitch in two months.”
Lawmakers strongly criticized the incident. Senator Chuck Schumer called it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence” in years. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Mark Warner labeled it “sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior,” and Senator Chris Coons argued that all participants may have violated federal law.
Critics have also raised legal concerns, noting that Signal is not authorized for classified communications. Goldberg’s account suggested the exchange may have violated provisions of the Espionage Act.