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Washington — President Trump on Tuesday defended national security adviser Mike Waltz as his administration faces questions about its use of the encrypted messaging app Signal after a reporter was mistakenly added to a group chat detailing highly sensitive plans to attack Houthi targets in Yemen.Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that the information that was discussed on the 18-member group chat, which included high-ranking officials like Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was not classified and said Waltz is a “very good man” who will “continue to do a good job.””I don’t think he should apologize. I think he’s doing his best,” the president said of Waltz. “It’s equipment and technology that’s not perfect and probably he won’t be using it again, at least not in the very near future.”Speaking to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night, Waltz called the situation “embarrassing” and said he takes “full responsibility,” adding that he “built” the Signal chat group. However, he claimed that he did not have Goldberg’s contact information on his phone and is unsure how Goldberg’s number got there, or how Goldberg got into the chat.
“I don’t text him, he wasn’t on my phone,” Waltz said. “And we’re going to figure out how this happened.”Waltz also said that a staffer did not put Goldberg’s contact information into the phone. The Trump administration’s use of the app to detail the plans to bomb Houthi targets on March 15 was revealed Monday by Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, who wrote in a piece that he was added to a chat on Signal by an account that shared Waltz’s name earlier this month.Several days later, an account named “Pete Hegseth” laid out plans for strikes in Yemen, which included information about “weapons packages, targets and timing” shortly before the attack took place, Goldberg wrote.
Among those included in the chat were accounts that appeared to belong to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukraine and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Goldberg’s account. Witkoff was in Moscow when he was added to the group chat, a CBS News analysis of open-source flight information and Russian media reporting found.Hegseth denied any war plans were discussed, but the National Security Council said in a statement to CBS News on Monday that the message thread detailed by Goldberg “appears to be authentic.”The breach sparked immediate condemnation of the Trump administration from congressional Democrats and raised questions about the use of Signal on government or personal devices, as well as whether top U.S. officials were sharing classified information. In a letter sent to Mr. Trump Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Hegseth should be fired immediately.””The so-called Secretary of Defense recklessly and casually disclosed highly sensitive war plans—including the timing of a pending attack, possible strike targets and the weapons to be used—during an unclassified national security group chat that inexplicably included a reporter,” Jeffries wrote. “His behavior shocks the conscience, risked American lives and likely violated the law.”Mr. Trump, meanwhile, told reporters that he believes his administration will limit its use of Signal in the future, though he acknowledged that “a lot of people” across the federal government rely on the app.”I don’t think it’s something we’re looking forward to using again,” he said. “We may be forced to use it. We may be in a situation where you need speed as opposed to gross safety and may be forced to use it. Generally speaking, I think we won’t be using it very much.”
The president questioned whether the app has vulnerabilities that allow other users to hack into conversations.”I think Michael, I’ve asked you to immediately study that and find out if people are able to break into a system,” Mr. Trump said.Waltz said technical experts and legal teams will look into the issue.”Of course, we’re going to keep everything as secure as possible,” he said. “No one in your national security team would ever put anyone in danger.”Waltz later attacked Goldberg and claimed he and other reporters in Washington, D.C., have “made big names for themselves making up lies about this president.””This one in particular I’ve never met, don’t know, never communicated with, and we’re looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room,” he said.Waltz told the president that Goldberg is attempting to deflect attention away from the “freedom that you’re enabling,” and said “the world owes President Trump a favor.”
Ratcliffe and Gabbard both appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier Tuesday and faced questions from senators about the controversy. The two denied classified information was exchanged in the group chat, but Ratcliffe confirmed he was a participant in the thread.Ratcliffe added that Signal was on his agency computer when he took the helm of the CIA earlier this year and said it’s “permissible” to use it to communicate and coordinate “for work purposes.”
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Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
