Waltz, involved in Signal scandal, to get new position
Photo: Mike Waltz (Getty Images)
The Senate has confirmed Mike Waltz as the US ambassador to the United Nations. He will assume the position following a corresponding presidential order from Donald Trump, CBS News reports.
During the vote, 47 senators supported Waltz’s nomination, while 43 opposed it.
As CBS News recalls, Democrats had promised tough hearings over Waltz’s nomination in the summer after he was linked to the Signal chat scandal. However, the hearings largely went smoothly for Waltz, with the scandal only mentioned more than an hour into the questioning.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee initially approved his nomination on July 24, with support from Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
In early September, the committee reconsidered Waltz’s nomination due to procedural objections from Democrats regarding the order of the initial vote.
On Wednesday, September 17, the committee once again endorsed his nomination. Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican on the committee to oppose the appointment.
The Waltz scandal
In March, when Mike Waltz still served as the US National Security Advisor, he accidentally added The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat.
In the chat, US officials discussed detailed plans concerning strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The fact that a journalist had access to this information could have jeopardized the operation.
On May 1, Trump announced that he had fired Waltz from his national security advisory position. The US leader added that he was nominating Waltz for the position of US ambassador to the UN.
