Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refutes claims of texting war strategies.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has denied allegations of sending war plans to a journalist from The Atlantic.
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump continues to support Mike Waltz, asserting that his national security adviser “has learned a lesson” after unintentionally including a journalist in a Signal chat with senior Trump administration officials that contained sensitive information regarding U.S. military strategies.
During a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Trump shared his first substantial comments on this alarming security lapse. “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president remarked.
Trump’s defense of Waltz came after a shocking report released Monday by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg describing how Waltz had added the journalist to a chat where Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other national security officials were coordinating U.S. airstrikes on Houthi sites in Yemen that occurred on March 15.
Just hours prior to the airstrikes, Hegseth divulged intricate secret plans regarding the U.S. strikes on Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Signal chat, unaware that Goldberg was also present alongside 18 high-ranking Trump officials.
Trump informed NBC that Goldberg’s inclusion in the chat had “no impact at all” on the military operation.
“It was one of Michael’s staff on the phone. A staff member mistakenly included his number,” Trump explained regarding how Goldberg ended up in the Signal chat.
Signal, available for download on both Apple and Android app stores and frequently utilized by reporters, is not sanctioned by the government for classified communications.
The leading House Democrats overseeing military, intelligence, foreign affairs, and government oversight committees are seeking explanations from high-ranking Trump administration officials about the Signal chat incident.
Trump expressed assurance in his national security team, despite the revelations from The Atlantic, characterizing the situation as “the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be serious.”
Contact Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
