US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is stepping down from his position, along with his deputy, Alex Wong, according to reports from CBS News and Reuters. The BBC, a media partner of CBS, also confirmed the news. This marks the first significant departure from President Trump’s senior leadership team during his second term.
The ‘Signalgate’ Scandal
Mike Waltz’s departure follows intense scrutiny after he admitted to inadvertently including Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, in a Signal group chat.
The chat, intended for senior Trump administration officials, was set up to discuss potential military actions against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Goldberg reported that Waltz invited him to join the group on March 11, and shortly thereafter, he received a notification that he would be part of a “Houthi PC small group”.
Within this group, Waltz, along with other Trump administration officials including Vice JD Vance Secretary of Pete Hegseth, discussed planned military actions against Houthi in Yemen On March15, Hegseth shared specific operational details regarding the strikes, including their scheduled start time.
The incident, dubbed “Signalgate”, has raised concerns about potential breaches in operational security of Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump had previously downplayed the security concerns, asserting that no classified information was exchanged in the chat. However, members of the administration privately called for Waltz’s resignation.
Despite Donald Trump’s initial defence of Waltz, describing him as a “good man” who had “learnt a lesson”, it appears the administration has decided on his departure to contain the fallout from the scandal.
It is not yet clear who will succeed Waltz, but reports suggest that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is a potential candidate. Witkoff has been involved in both Russia-Ukraine diplomacy and Middle East negotiations.
Mike Waltz joined the Donald Trump administration after serving six years in Congress, representing a district in Florida. He is a former Army Green Beret who served multiple tours in Afghanistan.
Trump cycled through four national security advisors in his first term. His first national security advisor, retired General Michael Flynn, resigned after less than one month on the job after revelations that he misled then Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with Russia’s ambassador to the US.
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