Trump's national security advisor Mike Waltz stepping down – CBS News
Photo: US President's advisor Michael Waltz (Getty Images)
New appointments are expected in the administration of US President Donald Trump — National Security Advisor Michael Waltz will step down from his position, CBS News reports.
According to the outlet, Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, will also step down from his position alongside him.
They are expected to resign on Thursday. The White House has not yet provided an official comment.
Waltz, who was involved in a scandal in March related to Signal, when he accidentally added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a secret chat, managed to keep his position at the time.
However, the outlet notes that after Waltz admitted behind closed doors that the leak was authentic, discussions began in the White House about his potential resignation. Still, Waltz did not offer to step down himself, and President Trump did not demand his dismissal at that time.
Personnel 'purge'
Now, according to a well-informed source within the National Security Council, Trump believes that enough time has passed since the incident to present the resignations of Waltz and Wong as part of a personnel reshuffle. However, the president is hesitating to dismiss Waltz so that it doesn’t appear as a concession to pressure from the media or political circles.
Another source, not affiliated with the administration but familiar with the mood inside it, notes that a personnel “purge” is underway at the National Security Council, and Wong’s resignation is only a matter of time. Waltz’s fate is expected to be decided within the next few days.
Alex Wong previously served in the Trump administration from 2016 to 2020 as Deputy Special Representative for North Korea and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Upon his reappointment, Trump emphasized that Wong had played a key role in preparing the summit with Kim Jong-un.
Signal scandal
On March 11, Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a private Signal chat where US officials were discussing strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. The incident sparked a strong reaction among politicians, with some members of Congress calling for an investigation.
Waltz, for his part, denied that military plans were discussed in the chat. He referred to Goldberg as "a dishonest and thoroughly discredited so-called journalist who has made a career of peddling hoaxes over and over again."
At the time, Fox News reported that Waltz was not at risk of dismissal, and Trump voiced support for his national security advisor.
“Michael Waltz has learned his lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said at the time.
