White House, shaken by Signal scandal, says case closed
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz faced criticism for apparently adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration sought to put the scandal over its use of the Signal messaging app behind it on March 31, calling it a case closed, even as the breach provoked bipartisan criticism and opened up divisions inside the White House.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that the administration maintained confidence in National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who has faced criticism for apparently adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread
She said steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of the incident, but did not elaborate.
“As the President has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team and this case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned,” Ms Leavitt said.
“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again, and we’re moving forward,” she added.
The Yemen bombing campaign, which targeted Houthi militants that have been attacking commercial ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza, occurred in mid-March, but was disclosed publicly by Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg on March 24.
Mr Goldberg had been added to the Signal chat alongside several high-ranking officials, such as Vice-President J.D. Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe.
Mr Waltz’s handling of the incident irked some senior members of US President Donald Trump’s team, but for now he appears to have survived the incident, a source familiar with the situation said.
Another source, an ally of Mr Trump, said the President had expressed anger at Mr Waltz’s conduct in private
On March 31, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, calling for the intelligence community to conduct an independent probe into the Signal leak.
The top Republican and Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee said on March 27 they had asked the Pentagon to investigate the matter. REUTERS
