Mike Waltz, a top advisor to former President Donald Trump

Mike Waltz, a top advisor to former President Donald Trump, has accepted "full responsibility" for the accidental inclusion of journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a private Signal chat concerning U.S. military actions in Yemen.

Waltz acknowledged the mistake, explaining that he had created the group chat, which involved high-level American officials discussing forthcoming strikes in Yemen. "I take full responsibility. I built the group; my job is to make sure everything's coordinated," Waltz stated in his first public remarks about the security lapse.
Waltz clarified that he had no prior relationship with Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who was inadvertently added to the chat. President Trump downplayed the incident, describing it as "the only glitch in two months" of his administration while facing criticism from Democratic lawmakers over the handling of sensitive information.
According to The Atlantic, Waltz mistakenly included Goldberg in a group of 18 senior administration officials planning the Yemen strike. Trump expressed continued support for Waltz, asserting that the mishap "turned out not to be a serious one." He further suggested that the error might have stemmed from one of Waltz's aides. "It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there," Trump remarked.
Waltz admitted uncertainty about how Goldberg's contact was added, saying, "This one in particular, I have never met, don’t know, never communicated with." Later, he mentioned that White House technical experts were investigating how Goldberg's number "may have been pulled into" the conversation.
In response to the breach, Trump indicated the administration would reduce its use of messaging apps for sensitive communications. "That’s one of the prices you pay when you’re not sitting in the Situation Room with no phones on, which is always the best, frankly," Trump said.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revealed during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that she was abroad when the exchange occurred. She declined to specify whether she had been using a personal or government-issued phone, citing an ongoing White House National Security Council review.