Mike Waltz, Top National Security Staffers Out in Latest Trump Purge After Signal Chat Leak: Report
Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor in the Trump administration and his deputy, Alex Wong, have been removed from their posts at the National Security Council (NSC), sources confirmed.
This shakeup comes amid an ongoing fallout from a major leak in March involving a Signal chat that disclosed sensitive discussions about military action in Yemen.
The personnel changes have raised questions about the internal dynamics at the White House, especially as President Donald Trump prepares to address the situation publicly.
The leak, which was first reported by The Atlantic, revealed that Waltz, along with top officials including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, had engaged in a Signal chat discussing plans for a military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The addition of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat by mistake led to the publication of sensitive details, including the timing of the strikes and the types of weapons involved.
The story quickly made headlines, and Waltz’s role in the incident drew widespread attention.
Waltz publicly acknowledged his mistake, accepting full responsibility for adding Goldberg to the Signal group chat.
In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Waltz remarked, “I take full responsibility. I built the group. It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
Despite this acknowledgment, Waltz’s future with the National Security Council remained in question, with some speculating that he might be forced to resign.
However, Trump expressed public support for Waltz, calling him “a good man” who had “learned a lesson,” as TTOA previously reported.
On the heels of the controversy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries weighed in on Waltz’s ouster.
“The National Security Advisor Waltz is out. He’s the first. He certainly won’t be the last,” he said, according to Fox News.
Wong, who served as Waltz’s principal deputy, was also caught up in the fallout.
According to The Atlantic, Wong had been tasked with organizing a “tiger team” to manage the coordination of the military strike.
Waltz’s initial message to the Signal group read, “My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”
The departure of Waltz and Wong comes shortly after the president’s public comments on the matter.
On April 3, Trump confirmed that a handful of National Security Council staffers had been let go, following the disclosure of the Signal chat.
While the White House did not provide specific details on the identities of those removed, Trump explained, “Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else.”
Despite the turmoil, Trump defended the National Security Council’s actions, asserting that no classified information was shared in the Signal chat.
He also emphasized that his national security team had achieved success, particularly in dealing with the Houthi rebels in Yemen and that the ongoing adjustments within the NSC were part of a necessary reorganization.
As the White House moves forward with personnel changes, it remains to be seen whether more staffers will be removed from the National Security Council.
For now, Waltz’s and Wong’s departures mark a significant shift within the administration’s national security apparatus.
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