Who framed Mike Waltz on Signal?

On Monday, March 24, The Atlantic published an exclusive article by its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg which created quite a stir in the US leadership. The article revealed details of secret negotiations among top US officials regarding a potential attack on the Houthi group in Yemen.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by U.S. Department of State, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025

From the perspective of an ordinary reader, the report seemed so convincing that the authenticity of the work chat correspondence was unquestionable. However, the White House quickly denied that such critical matters would be discussed in a messenger app.

According to Goldberg, on March 11, he received an invitation from Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to join a private group chat on Signal.

Two days later, Goldberg found himself inside a work chat titled "Houthis PC Small Group.”

The invitation was accompanied by the following message:

Mike Waltz:

"Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening. Pls provide the best staff POC from your team for us to coordinate with over the next couple days and over the weekend. Thx.”

It seemed too strange that the message had come directly from Waltz rather than his assistants. And it was hard to believe that a journalist would be invited into a secret chat discussing US military strategy.

Despite his doubts, Goldberg decided to stay and observe what was happening. And there was plenty to see, starting with the introduction of group members.

The chat, besides Mike Waltz, had the following people participating:

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe
• Vice President J. D. Vance

Additionally, some participants had initials matching high-ranking officials, such as:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
• And other key members of the administration

According to Jeffrey Goldberg, the group was created to discuss airstrikes against Yemeni Houthis, who had been disrupting trade through the Red Sea. A heated political debate soon unfolded.

As soon as The Atlantic published the leaked chat logs, members of Donald Trump’s team were quick to deny the existence of such a workgroup chat altogether.

The main figure in the leak, Pete Hegseth, stated that no one in the country’s leadership could have been sending text messages about war plans on Signal. He also called the author of the article a liar and a thoroughly discredited journalist.

Other Trump allies made similar statements. The president himself, commenting on the situation, flatly dismissed The Atlantic, saying he knew nothing about the publication because it was “already going out of business.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

"Best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of The Atlantic magazine, because no one ever goes there," he wrote.

However, after some time, the authorities eventually acknowledged that a leak had occurred.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes stated that Jeffrey Goldberg’s account of the secret negotiations “appears to be authentic.”

This put Mike Waltz’s position in jeopardy. According to Politico, Waltz is believed to be responsible for adding the journalist to the secret chat.

Media outlets began discussing Waltz’s possible resignation, though it might not happen. Experts believe that Donald Trump still trusts his team and values their loyalty.

“Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f**ing idiot," a senior US official said speaking anonymously to Politico.

Despite the scandal, White House officials told Axios that the intelligence leaks controversy will eventually die down and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will remain in his position.

Details

Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former Army Special Forces officer who is the 29th and current U.S. national security advisor, serving under President Donald Trump since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Florida's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. He was the first Army Special Forces soldier to be elected to Congress.