Trump adviser Mike Waltz is under mounting pressure from his own administration after his heavy-handed reaction to the leaked Signal chat controversy, during which US military strategic planning conversations and an unintended media participant, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, made their way out into the open. Rather than owning up, Waltz doubled down, arguing he has no clue how Goldberg ended up included in the conversation a position which has irritated policymakers and heightened controversy.
Waltz’s denial of any impropriety has come under criticism from within and outside the White House. Republican lawmakers such as Rep. Don Bacon have called on the administration to own up. “The White House is in denial that this wasn’t classified or sensitive data,” Bacon said. “They should just own up to it and preserve credibility.”
Within Trump’s inner circle, there is growing impatience. White House aides say Waltz’s obstinacy is only making matters worse, especially now that he dragged Elon Musk into a bid to track down the leak. “Waltz just invited the FBI to dig into his text chain,” said one administration official in warning. Others worry his denial of knowledge about Goldberg could be impeached if previous communication between the two comes to light.
In spite of pressure, Waltz has stuck to a confrontational position, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt branding The Atlantic’s story as “a hoax” and Communications Director Steven Cheung saying the publication “illegitimately speculated” on war planning details. But some Trump allies think the administration’s messaging approach is rebounding.
A White House insider bluntly summarized: “This is stupid. Own it, fire Waltz, move on.” Waltz, however, is refusing to back down, stoking the tensions within an administration in crisis mode to control the damage.
