US national security adviser admits blunder after journalist accidentally added to secret group chat
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has taken “full responsibility” for the security blunder that saw The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg mistakenly added to a private chat discussing military plans against Yemen.
Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Waltz admitted the embarrassing error and pledged to investigate how it happened.
“I take full responsibility. I built the group; my job is to make sure everything’s coordinated,” Waltz said.
He clarified that he does not personally know Goldberg and that the journalist’s inclusion in the chat was unintentional. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he assured.
Contact mix-up behind security breach
Waltz suggested that the mishap resulted from a contact mix-up.
“Have you ever had somebody’s contact that shows their name and then you have somebody else’s number?” he explained, insisting that the incident was an unfortunate but honest mistake.
The national security adviser also revealed that he had discussed the issue with Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk, stating:
“We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened. We made a mistake. We’re moving forward.”
Highly sensitive chat exposed
The controversy erupted after Goldberg was inadvertently added to a private Signal chat where senior American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Waltz himself, were discussing imminent military strikes on Yemen’s Houthi armed group.
On March 11, Goldberg received a message request on the encrypted messaging app from a user named “Michael Waltz.”
Unaware of the journalist’s presence, Waltz and other officials shared sensitive details, including:
- Attack timing
- Weaponry specifications
- Military morale reports
Goldberg, stunned by what he was reading, later disclosed the incident in a bombshell article published by The Atlantic on Monday, titled: “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.”
“I have never seen a breach quite like this,” Goldberg wrote, explaining that he eventually notified the White House about the security lapse before exiting the conversation.
Trump shrugs off incident
When pressed by reporters on Tuesday, President Donald Trump played down the significance of the leak, dismissing concerns over national security.
“There was no classified information,” he insisted, pointing out that Signal, the messaging app used in the chat, is widely used by government officials.
Trump also took a swipe at The Atlantic, claiming:
“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it.”
The Atlantic hits back
In response to Trump’s comments, The Atlantic issued a firm statement via The Ingraham Angle, a popular US news programme.
“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,” the statement read.
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Waltz stays despite resignation calls
Despite Democratic lawmakers calling for Waltz and Defence Secretary Hegseth to step down over the blunder, Trump has made it clear that he will stand by his national security adviser.
“He’s not getting fired,” Trump told Fox News, calling the incident a “mistake” but asserting that “nothing important” had been shared in the chat.
“I don’t think he should apologise,” Trump added. “I think he’s doing his best. It’s equipment and technology that’s not perfect.”
While the White House attempts to move past the controversy, the security breach has sparked renewed concerns over the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive military information.
For now, Waltz remains in his post – but with mounting pressure from critics, the fallout from this embarrassing diplomatic blunder is far from over.
