Mike Waltz grilled “Signalgate” at Senate confirmation
Former national security adviser Mike Waltz answered questions about handling leaked signal group chats.
He was banished as President Donald Trump’s top national security advisor after a message from leak chat on Mike Waltz’s signal app was published on a massive scale a few months ago.
Now he holds a new position at the United Nations.
Facing harsh questions from the senator during the July 15 confirmation hearing, Waltz defended the use of the app, saying it is explicitly recommended for government use.
So is it okay for the top staff to send messages to the app?
Signals are approved, but not classified information
The signal was green light for government use by the Biden administration. However, this is not an approved channel for classified information. This is what the senior defense secretary says will include some of the messages Waltz created and sent in signal chats that were carelessly shared with Atlantic journalists.
The Waltz accidentally added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a signal chat where Trump’s top national security authorities were discussing plans to attack Hooty’s target in Yemen. On March 15, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses sent out strike chat details just before the surgery, including mentions of weapons used and strikes and launch times. A detailed accounting of the error was revealed in the Atlantic in an article by Goldberg that sparked the Washington fire.
At the July 15 hearing, in order to consider his appointment as an ambassador to the United Nations, Waltz defended the use of the signal and said in a fierce interaction with Sen. Chris Coons the app has been “approved and ‘recommended’ for government use.
He said what he did was firmly within the department’s recommendations.
“The use of signals was not only permitted, but was recommended,” Waltz said in guidance released by the Biden administration.
Later, Waltz read the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidance sheets since December 2024, which encouraged senior government officials who have been “highly targeted” by espionage and cyberattacks to “use end-to-end encrypted communications and similar apps.”
Signals were approved during the Biden administration to coordinate meetings and other daily activities, according to a former senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials involved in the regular classified briefings said the signal would not be used for substantial discussion. The classified information was limited to the security of government communication channels.
Waltz’s statement on July 15th explored none of this nuance.
Pentagon inspectors are still reviewing the participation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegses in the signalling chat where he discussed the airstrikes before the pilots set up them up. Some current and former defense officials told USA Today that such information discloses future military operations but is almost certainly classified.
On July 15, Waltz refused to the Senate committee, confirming that the classifieds were shared in the chat.
“We know that neither of us is a safe way to convey classified information. I wanted to hear from you that you had a sense of regret,” Coons said.
“There was no information classified into that chat,” Waltz said.
