Trump Shows Support for Waltz Despite Controversy from Discussion on War Plans
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man,” Trump stated.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump expressed his confidence in national security adviser Michael Waltz during an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, following a controversy involving the inclusion of a journalist in a private message chain discussing airstrikes in Yemen.
The Atlantic reported that its editor was unintentionally added to a Signal group chat focusing on sensitive military plans, which caught national security officials and Congress members off guard. PMG also reported that Waltz might find himself in a precarious position within the White House.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man,” Trump stated in the NBC News interview.
The president added that the journalist's inclusion in the chat had “no impact at all” and claimed that the Houthi attacks were “perfectly successful.”
Discussions are ongoing among senior administration officials regarding Waltz's future, with the possibility of forcing his resignation being considered, according to previous PMG reports. A senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, remarked, “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”
In response to speculation about Waltz’s position, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday morning that Trump “continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz.” She dismissed claims to the contrary as being fueled by anonymous sources that “clearly do not speak to the President.”
Earlier in the month, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was notified of being added to a group chat labeled “Houthi PC small group,” which reportedly included over a dozen senior officials, such as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The National Security Council validated that the text chain “appears to be authentic” to PMG, The Atlantic, and other outlets, a claim supported by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Despite the breach, the White House and allies have sought to minimize its significance. On Monday, Hegseth stated in Hawaii that “nobody was texting war plans,” a sentiment Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday, describing Goldberg as “well-known for his sensationalist spin” and asserting that “no ‘war plans’ were discussed.”
The Atlantic has released some messages from the chain, which included discussions on pre-planning and U.S. strategies for striking Houthi forces in Yemen, though Goldberg has withheld others for national security reasons.
During a Tuesday morning appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Goldberg mentioned receiving a text from Hegseth that outlined “the war sequencing, the attack sequence, weapons packages, targets.” He added, “I don't want to go into details, because I don't think it's responsible to put out operational issues, and I don't understand all the sources and methods issues that are raised by this from an intelligence perspective. I saw Hegseth's response yesterday. It was just unserious.”
Both Democrats and some Republicans expressed outrage regarding what they deemed reckless behavior in adding a private citizen to sensitive discussions and using an unsecured channel. Sen. Susan Collins referred to the incident as “an extremely troubling and serious matter.” Rep. Mike Lawler stated that measures should be implemented to “ensure this never happens again.”
Democrats were notably more critical. “Only one word for this: FUBAR,” Rep. Pat Ryan, an Army veteran serving on the Armed Services Committee, posted on X, using an acronym denoting a complete failure. He further asserted, “If House Republicans won’t hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I’ll do it my damn self.”
Conversely, many staunch MAGA supporters have downplayed the leak. “We don’t know how much of this is accurate or not,” Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stated on Fox News. “We’re griping about who is on a text message and who is not. I mean, come on.”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
The Atlantic reported that its editor was unintentionally added to a Signal group chat focusing on sensitive military plans, which caught national security officials and Congress members off guard. PMG also reported that Waltz might find himself in a precarious position within the White House.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man,” Trump stated in the NBC News interview.
The president added that the journalist's inclusion in the chat had “no impact at all” and claimed that the Houthi attacks were “perfectly successful.”
Discussions are ongoing among senior administration officials regarding Waltz's future, with the possibility of forcing his resignation being considered, according to previous PMG reports. A senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, remarked, “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”
In response to speculation about Waltz’s position, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday morning that Trump “continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz.” She dismissed claims to the contrary as being fueled by anonymous sources that “clearly do not speak to the President.”
Earlier in the month, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was notified of being added to a group chat labeled “Houthi PC small group,” which reportedly included over a dozen senior officials, such as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The National Security Council validated that the text chain “appears to be authentic” to PMG, The Atlantic, and other outlets, a claim supported by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Despite the breach, the White House and allies have sought to minimize its significance. On Monday, Hegseth stated in Hawaii that “nobody was texting war plans,” a sentiment Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday, describing Goldberg as “well-known for his sensationalist spin” and asserting that “no ‘war plans’ were discussed.”
The Atlantic has released some messages from the chain, which included discussions on pre-planning and U.S. strategies for striking Houthi forces in Yemen, though Goldberg has withheld others for national security reasons.
During a Tuesday morning appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Goldberg mentioned receiving a text from Hegseth that outlined “the war sequencing, the attack sequence, weapons packages, targets.” He added, “I don't want to go into details, because I don't think it's responsible to put out operational issues, and I don't understand all the sources and methods issues that are raised by this from an intelligence perspective. I saw Hegseth's response yesterday. It was just unserious.”
Both Democrats and some Republicans expressed outrage regarding what they deemed reckless behavior in adding a private citizen to sensitive discussions and using an unsecured channel. Sen. Susan Collins referred to the incident as “an extremely troubling and serious matter.” Rep. Mike Lawler stated that measures should be implemented to “ensure this never happens again.”
Democrats were notably more critical. “Only one word for this: FUBAR,” Rep. Pat Ryan, an Army veteran serving on the Armed Services Committee, posted on X, using an acronym denoting a complete failure. He further asserted, “If House Republicans won’t hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I’ll do it my damn self.”
Conversely, many staunch MAGA supporters have downplayed the leak. “We don’t know how much of this is accurate or not,” Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stated on Fox News. “We’re griping about who is on a text message and who is not. I mean, come on.”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
