Mike Waltz, former National Security Advisor during the Trump administration, is under growing fire. He’s likely to resign from his post as soon as next week due to his participation in a Signal messaging app coterie. Supposedly this group discussed sensitive U.S. military plans. Even more troubling is how the administration manages the sensitive but unclassified information.
The drama turned ugly when National Security team member Robert Hegseth uncovered plans for attacks. Yet he divulged all this classified intelligence to a roundtable that included a newspaper reporter. Hegseth effectively used the Signal app to send private and sensitive operational details on US leadership’s planned strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen. He told this to his wife, brother, personal attorney and aides. Significantly, these planned strikes were carried out just hours after these messages were sent.
Some damaging information was in the leaked texts, including the scope of weapons packages, specific targets, and even the timing of military actions. Critics contend that any disclosures would compromise operational security and reveal future U.S. military strategies.
Waltz, who is soon headed to become U.S. ambassador to Singapore, His expected exit comes a day after his visible absence from a Rose Garden event at the White House recognizing the National Day of Prayer. Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump reassured that Waltz’s position was secure, stating, “Waltz is fine. I mean, he’s here. He just left this office. He’s fine. He was beat up.” However large or small this may have been, the fallout from the Signal scandal at the least appears to have forced a reevaluation on Tarver’s continued role.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed criticism regarding the situation, saying, “Look, they should fire him, but they’re firing the wrong guy,” referencing both Hegseth and Waltz. In response, Hegseth and his fellow administration officials have sought to minimize the blowup. Their defense continues that none of the classified information we’re told about was released in the Signal group chats.
This week Waltz will be leaving his post. With him, Alex Wong, the Deputy National Security Advisor, is expected to leave as well. The departures mark a significant shift in the Trump administration’s national security team as it reaches the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term in office.
With Waltz preparing to depart. If he does join, he will be the first major official to leave the White House since President Trump began his second term in January. The impact of these changes might echo across U.S. national security policy and strategy in the years to come.