National Security Advisor Michael Waltz has assumed "full responsibility" for a leaked group chat on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging service, which included senior Trump officials discussing potential military actions. The chat group, named "Houthi PC Small Group," was unintentionally exposed to Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic's editor-in-chief, resulting in widespread criticism and accusations of a severe national security breach.
Waltz expressed regret regarding the incident on "The Ingraham Angle," stating, "I take full responsibility. I built the group. It's embarrassing. We're going to get to the bottom of it." Other key Trump officials reportedly involved in the chat include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
President Donald Trump, when asked about the incident, appeared unbothered and expressed his lack of interest in The Atlantic's involvement. He stated, "I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of the Atlantic. To me, it's a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it."
Waltz also criticized The Atlantic and its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, stating, "I can tell you for 100% I don't know this guy. I know him by his horrible reputation, and he really is the bottom scum of journalists. And I know him in the sense that he hates the president, but I don't text him. He wasn't on my phone. And we're going to figure out how this happened."
The Atlantic responded, asserting that their reporting and journalistic integrity were being unfairly undermined. The response read, "attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans…"
Despite calls for Waltz's resignation from some Democratic figures, President Trump defended the national security advisor. He told Fox News that Waltz will not be fired over the incident, describing it as a "mistake" and confirming that there was "nothing important" in the Signal text thread.
During a Senate hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were questioned about their roles in the scandal. They maintained that no classified information had been shared in the group chat. This claim was contested by Democrats, who highlighted that the chat's contents, as described by Goldberg, included “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.”
When asked about Department of Defense rules regarding discussions of “controlled unclassified information” on unsecured devices, both Ratcliffe and Gabbard admitted to not having read the policy. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., expressed concern over the situation, stating, "This is an embarrassment. This is utterly unprofessional. There’s been no apology, there has been no recognition of the gravity of this error. And by the way, we will get the full transcript of this chain and your testimony will be measured carefully against its content."
The White House remains firm that "no classified material was sent to the thread." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on social media that "No ‘war plans’ were discussed" in the group chat and that the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was added to the thread.