National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is reportedly on the verge of departing from his role in the Trump administration amid fallout from the establishment of a Signal messaging app group that discussed sensitive U.S. military operations in March. These developments were reported by several media outlets on Thursday.
Finance Newso has not been able to verify these reports independently.
Waltz’s absence was notably felt during a Rose Garden event at the White House commemorating the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, where many prominent Trump administration officials gathered.
An unexpected member of the Signal group was Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor of The Atlantic, who disclosed information about conversations shared among key Trump officials.
Other members of this group included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director Scott Ratcliff, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Goldberg revealed that text exchanges concluded with Hegseth on March 15, outlining military plans that included detailed information on weaponry, targets, and specific timings for strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, which were executed shortly after those discussions.
Should Waltz leave, he would be the first significant official to exit the administration since Trump embarked on his second term in January.
Earlier this week, Trump assured The Atlantic that Waltz’s position was secure.
In a conversation with Atlantic journalists, the president was prompted about Hegseth’s future as Defense Secretary.
Hegseth has faced scrutiny for revealing attack plans to the Signal group that included Goldberg, and for sharing some information regarding planned strikes with his wife, brother, attorney, and other aides.
“Yeah, he’s safe,” Trump stated regarding Hegseth.
When asked if Hegseth would remain in the administration longer than Waltz, Trump emphasized, “Waltz is fine. I mean, he’s here. He just left this office. He’s fine. He was beat up also.”
The Pentagon’s internal watchdog is currently investigating Hegseth for his usage of Signal to discuss pending military actions.
The inquiry by the Office of the Inspector General will assess whether Hegseth and other Defense Department personnel adhered to protocols governing the use of commercial messaging applications for official matters, an investigation that was announced last month.
Both Hegseth and other members of the Trump administration have downplayed the incident, claiming that no classified information was exchanged within the Signal conversations.
Trump’s first national security advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, resigned under pressure early in 2017 after only 24 days due to misleading then-Vice President Mike Pence regarding his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition.
By late 2017, Flynn had agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his discussions with Kislyak. Trump subsequently pardoned Flynn in late 2020, just months before leaving his post.
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