Trump administration officials and allies are concerned, angry and confused about the response — led by national security adviser Mike Waltz — to the leak of a group chat conversation that included plans for an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Over the last 24 hours, President Donald Trump and officials in his administration have appeared to downplay the seriousness of the leaked Signal group chat first revealed by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally included in the discussion and later published his account of the snafu.
“The White House is in denial that this was not classified or sensitive data,” said Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and former Air Force general. “They should just own up to it and preserve credibility.”
Waltz, who apparently inadvertently added Goldberg to the chat, is taking the brunt of the blame inside the White House.
White House staff and the president’s allies are exasperated with Waltz’s strategy to double down on his claims that he doesn’t know how Goldberg’s number ended up in his phone, and how the journalist was added to a Signal thread discussing US military operations in Yemen.
“People are mad that Waltz didn’t just admit a mistake and move on,” said a senior administration official who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Waltz’s response has now raised concerns that he’s only digging a deeper hole for the White House.
The official also shared messages from other White House staffers they’ve received in the aftermath: “Trump offered Waltz a chance to admit a glitch and move on but he said he doesn’t know how a reporter’s number was added. He asked for Elon’s help to figure it out but now he’s opened up a new angle on the story.”
Administration officials and others close to the White House are worried that Waltz’s decision to ask tech mogul Elon Musk to investigate the leak will lead to more political damage. “Well, Waltz just opened the door for the FBI to investigate the compromise of his text chain,” one wrote in another message shared with POLITICO.
Another person close to the White House said Waltz’s claims that he doesn’t know Goldberg, has never spoken with him, and doesn’t know how the number got into his phone is “bullshit and he risks somebody else calling bullshit on it. Like if anybody has ever seen them talking or if Goldberg has other texts.”
But Waltz’s explanation is only one aspect of what has emerged as a disjointed messaging strategy that has included White House communications staffers, top officials going before Congress and even the president, who went on Newsmax Tuesday night.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called The Atlantic story a “hoax.” Communications Director Steven Cheung claims the magazine “falsely alleged” there was war planning in the chat while Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich claimed The Atlantic “LIED.”
The person close to the White House called this strategy “stupid.” Adding, “own it, fire Waltz, move on.”
Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
