US national security adviser may be fired over military plan leak - Politico
Photo: Michael Waltz, National Security Adviser to the White House (Getty Images)
A journalist's accidental inclusion in a chat room where US officials were discussing military plans has sparked a heated debate in the White House over the fate of national security adviser Mike Waltz, Politico reports.
According to the unnamed officials, nothing has been decided yet, but White House President Donald Trump may make a final decision within the next day or two as he watches the coverage of the incident.
Two other officials believe that Waltz should resign to prevent Trump from being in a bad position.
"It was reckless not to check who was on the thread. It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal. You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser," the official said.
At the same time, some believe that Waltz is not in danger. According to the unnamed person, Trump has already spoken with the national security adviser and the White House generally supports him.
"As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz," said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Another person close to the White House, who called Waltz an "idiot," does not believe that the incident will have any consequences for the US presidential administration in general.
"I don’t think there are any longterm political consequences for Trump or the Administration, outside of this potentially costing Waltz his job," she said.
Scandalous Signal chat meeting
On March 11, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was accidentally added to a closed chat in the Signal messenger, where officials discussed strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
According to media reports, the discussion of military plans in a regular chat room caused a serious reaction from many politicians. In particular, congressmen called for an investigation into the scandalous incident.
