Waltz accepts 'full responsibility' yet labels Atlantic editor 'scum'
In a conversation with Fox News, the national security advisor stated he was unaware of how the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg became involved in the discussion.
TroibNews 
National security adviser Mike Waltz took "full responsibility" on Tuesday for the inclusion of a journalist in a group chat discussing war plans. However, he did not hold back in criticizing The Atlantic's editor who was part of the chat, claimed he was unaware of how it occurred, and stated that Elon Musk, along with other Trump administration officials, would conduct an investigation.
Waltz's comments, made during an appearance on Fox News, came amid significant backlash for including The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in the chat, while President Donald Trump defended his security adviser.
“I built the group. My job is to make sure everything's coordinated,” Waltz stated on the show with Laura Ingraham.
Waltz denied any familiarity with Goldberg, asserting he “wouldn't know him if I bumped into him or saw him in a police lineup.” He then spent a substantial portion of the interview criticizing The Atlantic's coverage, accusing the publication—without any evidence—of misrepresenting Gold Star military families and perpetuating the Russia “hoax.”
“I can tell you 100 percent I don't know this guy,” he reiterated, labeling Goldberg as “the bottom scum of journalists,” employing a familiar strategy used by Trump and his associates to attack media figures.
In response, a spokesperson for The Atlantic said, "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."
A report from The Atlantic revealed that Goldberg was inadvertently added to the encrypted conversation after he received “a connection request on Signal from a user identified as Michael Waltz.”
Ingraham pressed Waltz on how Goldberg ended up in the group chat, leading him to respond, “Have you ever had somebody's contact that shows their name and then you have somebody else's number?” When asked again how Goldberg appeared on his phone, Waltz maintained his lack of knowledge.
“Of course I didn't see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else,” he added. “The person I thought was on there was never on there.”
Waltz did not disclose who he originally thought was in the chat or who should have been added instead of Goldberg. He defended the U.S. attack on Houthis and the planning process, insisting that no classified information was shared in the chat, although he acknowledged that the chat being made public was “embarrassing.”
Echoing Trump’s comments, he suggested that sensitive national security discussions ideally take place in person, although this isn't always feasible. Ultimately, he characterized what was disclosed in the chat as a “healthy policy debate.”
Democrats quickly condemned the incident, criticizing the breach of national security information as a failure of the Trump administration, particularly blaming Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Waltz defended Hegseth, stating he has been an “excellent secretary of Defense.”
Waltz mentioned that he recently spoke with Musk and that they have "the best technical minds" investigating how such an error occurred.
“We made a mistake. We're moving forward,” Waltz concluded.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
Waltz's comments, made during an appearance on Fox News, came amid significant backlash for including The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in the chat, while President Donald Trump defended his security adviser.
“I built the group. My job is to make sure everything's coordinated,” Waltz stated on the show with Laura Ingraham.
Waltz denied any familiarity with Goldberg, asserting he “wouldn't know him if I bumped into him or saw him in a police lineup.” He then spent a substantial portion of the interview criticizing The Atlantic's coverage, accusing the publication—without any evidence—of misrepresenting Gold Star military families and perpetuating the Russia “hoax.”
“I can tell you 100 percent I don't know this guy,” he reiterated, labeling Goldberg as “the bottom scum of journalists,” employing a familiar strategy used by Trump and his associates to attack media figures.
In response, a spokesperson for The Atlantic said, "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."
A report from The Atlantic revealed that Goldberg was inadvertently added to the encrypted conversation after he received “a connection request on Signal from a user identified as Michael Waltz.”
Ingraham pressed Waltz on how Goldberg ended up in the group chat, leading him to respond, “Have you ever had somebody's contact that shows their name and then you have somebody else's number?” When asked again how Goldberg appeared on his phone, Waltz maintained his lack of knowledge.
“Of course I didn't see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else,” he added. “The person I thought was on there was never on there.”
Waltz did not disclose who he originally thought was in the chat or who should have been added instead of Goldberg. He defended the U.S. attack on Houthis and the planning process, insisting that no classified information was shared in the chat, although he acknowledged that the chat being made public was “embarrassing.”
Echoing Trump’s comments, he suggested that sensitive national security discussions ideally take place in person, although this isn't always feasible. Ultimately, he characterized what was disclosed in the chat as a “healthy policy debate.”
Democrats quickly condemned the incident, criticizing the breach of national security information as a failure of the Trump administration, particularly blaming Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Waltz defended Hegseth, stating he has been an “excellent secretary of Defense.”
Waltz mentioned that he recently spoke with Musk and that they have "the best technical minds" investigating how such an error occurred.
“We made a mistake. We're moving forward,” Waltz concluded.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
