Mike Waltz takes ‘full responsibility’ for making text group that leaked classified info
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Tuesday night said that he takes “full responsibility” for organising a text group on the messaging app Signal that accidentally leaked so-called plans to a journalist. The plans included US airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen
“I take full responsibility. I built the — I built the group. My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated,” Waltz said during an interview with Fox News in his first public comments.
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The war plans were accidentally shared with Jeffrey Goldberg, who is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Goldberg reported on Monday that he was part of a text chain on Signal where details of air strikes in Yemen were discussed along with other highly sensitive national security matters.
Goldberg claimed that he was invited to an encrypted chat group named the “Houthi PC small group” on March 13. In the group, Waltz told his deputy, Alex Wong, to set up a “tiger team” to coordinate US action against the Houthis.
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US President Donald Trump launched an ongoing campaign of large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping. Goldberg wrote that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent information on the strikes, including attack plans.
On Tuesday, Waltz was responding to a question about whether a staffer was responsible for the incident when he, without evidence, suggested that Goldberg might have “deliberately” appeared in the group, which included top administration officials.
“Now, whether he did it deliberately or it happened in some other technical means is something we’re trying to figure out,” Waltz said
He added that he had spoken with tech billionaire Elon Musk and that “we’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened.”
Trump downplayed the scandal, denying any classified information was shared and defending a top aide over the breach. He said he would “look into” the use of the Signal app.
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What did The Atlantic say?
Anna Bross, a spokesperson for the publication, said in a statement, “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. Our journalists are continuing to fearlessly and independently report the truth in the public interest.”
(With input from agencies)
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