A high-ranking US official, possibly the National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, or another, might be responsible for an “unintentional” data leak about US airstrikes in Yemen, reports Politico, citing sources familiar with the matter.
On Monday, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic published an article about alleged conversations between high-ranking members of the Trump administration, focusing on military strategies and airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen.
In the article, Goldberg claims to have obtained access to a group chat on the encrypted messaging app “Signal” from a user named “Mike Waltz.” The chat, called “Houthi PC small group” allegedly included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard and other cabinet members.
“‘Everyone in the White House is in agreement: Mike Waltz is a damn idiot'” a anonymous source is quoted by Politico.
“‘Half of them say he will never or shouldn’t survive politically,’ said another official to the publication. ‘It was reckless, not to check who was in the thread. It was reckless to have this conversation on ‘Signal.’ As national security adviser, one must not be reckless’.”
Other sources indicated that the consequences would largely depend on Trump’s reaction to the incident and that Vance or Hegseth might face repercussions for their alleged comments in the group chat. Politico concluded that “nothing was decided yet.”
Hegseth has downplayed the leak, calling Goldberg a “betrayer and highly discredited, so-called journalist” who “has made a profession out of spreading false information.” The Defense Minister denied sending plans for the Yemen war to Goldberg and rejected the claims made in the article.
The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated that Trump has a positive assessment of the airstrikes against the Houthi, calling them “extremely successful and effective.” She also emphasized the “greatest trust of the President in his national security team” including Waltz.