President Donald Trump expressed support for his adviser, Mike Waltz, one day after a report emerged that Waltz added a journalist to a Signal app group chat where attack plans were apparently discussed.
"He's a very good man and he will continue to do a very good job," President Trump said during a meeting with U.S. ambassadors.
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The report, published by The Atlantic, detailed how journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the encrypted group chat, where high-level officials discussed a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said he received a Signal connection request from Waltz on March 11. Over the following days, he said, he observed senior Trump administration officials discussing the potential operation.
Goldberg said in a message on March 15 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a message that "contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing." The strikes were reportedly carried out about two hours later.
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Goldberg’s detailed account of the Signal conversations has raised concerns about whether Trump officials are using appropriate channels to discuss sensitive information.
Officials with the Trump administration claim Signal is commonly used and the information discussed was not classified. However, they have not given a clear answer about whether it would be OK for Goldberg to release all the details that were discussed in the group chat.
Instead, the administration has attempted to go on the offensive, with Trump calling Goldberg a “total sleazebag.”
Waltz claimed on Wednesday that he has never met Goldberg or communicated with him.
"We are looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room," he said.
Democrats have called for investigations into the matter, saying the administration jeopardized national security.
