Politico reported Tuesday morning that President Donald Trump would decide within 48 hours whether to dismiss National Security Adviser Mike Walz. The decision follows an article in The Atlantic alleging that Walz included the magazine’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, in a group that shared classified information about US military strikes in Yemen. According to The Atlantic, Goldberg was added to the group on March 15, roughly two hours before the strikes began.
Goldberg, an all-around nice guy and a friend of Israel, reported on Monday (The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans):
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
This is going to require some explaining.
The shocking revelation that top administration officials inadvertently included a reporter in a group chat discussing war plans has sparked intense debate within the White House, with growing pressure to remove Waltz.
A person close to the White House told Politico: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a [expletive] idiot.”
Waltz, 61, was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and raised in Jacksonville. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute, graduating with honors as a Distinguished Military Graduate. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the US representative for Florida’s 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. Notably, he was the first Army Special Forces soldier to be elected to Congress.
According to Politico, Goldberg received a request to join Signal, an encrypted messaging app, from a “Mike Waltz” on March 11. He was subsequently added to a group chat named “Houthi PC small group,” which appeared to include other senior administration officials, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
“In all, 18 individuals were listed as members of this group, including various National Security Council officials; Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiator; Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff; and someone identified only as ‘S M,’ which I took to stand for Stephen Miller. I appeared on my own screen only as ‘JG,’” Goldberg reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Monday statement: “As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz.”
Those statements of support usually mean, go pack your stuff, the nice man from security will escort you to the curb.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Politico Waltz should “absolutely not” resign. “He’s exceptionally qualified for the job. He is trusted — trustworthy,” Johnson said. “He was made for that job, and I have full confidence in him.”
We should start an office pool.
