Related Articles
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz — who in March accidentally invited a journalist into an unsecured chat where top Trump officials discussed military attack plans — is leaving his post, and his deputy, Alex Wong, will be following him out the door.
Mark Halperin was the first to report the news of Waltz’s ouster Thursday morning.
Trump announced later in the day that he is nominating Waltz to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take over as national security adviser on an interim basis. Rubio is also serving as the acting head of the National Archives, after Trump fired its previous leader. Trump previously nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become ambassador to the UN, but later pulled the nomination, ostensibly so Stefanik could help protect the GOP’s narrow majority in Congress.
Waltz is the first high-level Donald Trump appointee to be booted from his position. The former Florida congressman faced intense scrutiny over his role in the “Signalgate” scandal, and struggled to defend himself publicly after the story broke. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also come under fire after he shared attack plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen in the unsecured chat, a stunning display of recklessness with sensitive information.
Trump seemed to stick by both of them. He said at the time that Waltz “learned his lesson” and is “doing his best.” The scandal has continued to haunt Hegseth, who reportedly sent the plans to his wife in a separate unsecured Signal chat. Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic published earlier this week that the man he put in charge of the military is “getting it together.”
It’s Waltz who appears to be taking the fall, however, possibly because he has curried more disfavor within the administration. Rolling Stone reported in March on the Trump team’s exasperation with Waltz, particularly over the comical unforced error of unwittingly adding Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the Signal chat. “Is Waltz just Jonah from Veep then?” wondered one Trump appointee.
CBS News and Politico confirmed later Thursday morning that Trump was planning to get rid of Waltz, with Politico noting that he has lost the confidence of other administration officials. The president could make the move as soon as this week.
Waltz attended a Cabinet meeting in the White House on Wednesday. “Mr. President, the last four years the world experienced a lack of leadership under Biden, and then we’ve had 100 days of your leadership with respect and with strength,” the soon-to-be-former national security adviser told the president.
