On Tuesday, former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz appeared before the U.S. Senate along with other appointees to be ambassadors for President Donald Trump's administration.
Waltz was the former advisor who added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat with a number of Trump appointees, where they discussed an impending military strike.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) was the first of the lawmakers to probe Waltz on the chat.
"We both know Signal is not a pure and appropriate secure means of communicating highly sensitive information. And yet, on March 24th, The Atlantic magazine published a series of Signal messages, including sensitive information about a U.S. military operation against the Houthis in Yemen involving you and several other Trump officials. Were you investigated for this disclosure of sensitive operational information on Signal?"
Waltz claimed that it was "recommended" to him by the Biden administration to use Signal. He even came prepared with guidance on the matter, which he read aloud.
"Adopt a free messaging application for secure communications that guarantees end-to-end encryption, such as Signal or similar apps," the document said.
Multiple times, Waltz maintained "there was no classified information exchanged."
As ABC News reported in March, "Several former military and intelligence officials, however, have rejected that assertion and argue the exchange could have put American troops at risk."
"There was a sensitive military operation you were sharing details about an upcoming airstrike, the time of launch, and the potential targets," Coons fact-checked. "I mean, this was demonstrably sensitive information. And the question I asked was, were you investigated for this expansion of the Signal group to include a journalist?"
Waltz said the White House concluded its investigation, though a Department of Defense investigation is still ongoing.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) told Waltz, "Signal has not been approved for use by U.S. government officials for the sharing of classified information."
Waltz confirmed that was "correct."
See the clip below or at the link here.
- YouTube youtu.be
