Mike Waltz has left his post as U.S. national security adviser just over a month after the Signal group chat leak.
Waltz had come under fire in March for mistakenly adding the Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a government chat discussing strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The group also included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Highlights
- Mike Waltz was removed as national security adviser after mistakenly adding a reporter to a classified Signal group chat.
- President Trump will nominate Waltz as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
- Marco Rubio replaced Waltz as interim national security adviser while retaining his role as secretary of state.
- An internal review revealed Waltz saved The Atlantic editor's number under another contact, causing the Signal leak.
Trump has ousted Waltz from his role and replaced him with Rubio in the interim
Image credits: The White House
President Donald Trump confirmed Waltz had left the role and said he would be nominating him as the next UN ambassador.
Sources told the publication that the pair had lost the confidence of administration officials and were on shaky ground even before the Signal leak.
Rubio will take on the role of national security adviser in the interim.
Image credits: Getty Images
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first.
“I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”
“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN.”
Just the day before Waltz was ousted, he appeared to be using Signal to communicate with senior government officials, CNBC reported.
A photo taken at a cabinet meeting by Reuters on Wednesday appeared to show Waltz with the encrypted messaging app open after Trump discouraged using the app.
Users he was communicating with on the app included Vance, Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
After the development, The New York Times dubbed Rubio “Secretary of Everything,” as he is now heading up four government bodies.
He is currently secretary of state, interim national security adviser, acting administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and acting archivist for the National Archives and Records Administration.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce found out about Waltz’s departure and Rubio’s new role from a reporter during a press briefing.
An internal investigation found Waltz had mistakenly saved Goldberg’s phone number
Image credits: Sky Star News
“Well, there you go,” she said in reference to Waltz.
“It is clear that I just heard this from you,” she told the reporter.
Bruce described it as an “exciting moment” and said Rubio “is a man who has worn several hats from day one.”
“Not entirely surprising I have to say, and good news for the American people,” she added.
Waltz took full responsibility for the Signal group chat leak and described it as “embarrassing.”
Image credits: The White House
An internal review found Waltz had mistakenly saved the Atlantic editor's phone number under the contact of someone he wanted to be added to the group.
The mishap related to a previous media request from Goldberg to the Trump campaign last year regarding Trump’s attitude toward wounded service members.
Waltz was asked to help respond, and when spokesperson Brian Hughes pasted the email contents—including Goldberg’s signature and number—into a text, Waltz inadvertently ended up saving Goldberg’s contact under Hughes’ name.
Image credits: ABC News
Hughes is now the spokesperson for the National Security Council.
After the messages were downplayed by the Trump administration, The Atlantic published screengrabs.
The chat included discussions about F-18 launch plans, strike timing, and designated targets.
It was recently revealed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also shared confidential information in a second Signal group chat with family members.
The chat was almost identical to the first group and included his brother Phil, wife Jennifer, and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore.
Four people with knowledge of the chat told The New York Times that a dozen of Hegseth’s professional network and inner circle were in the chat when he shared confidential information.
Hegseth was also using his personal mobile to access the Signal group, they said.