The U.S. ambassador candidate for the UN, Mike Waltz, faced some tough questions during a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, particularly about the so-called “Signal Gate” controversy. He insisted that he wasn’t actually fired from his role as a national security adviser.
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, particularly Democrats, have been probing a scandal involving him and several officials from the Trump administration. An editor from the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, inadvertently included himself in a group chat and accused Waltz of falsifying details regarding an accidental leak related to a military air strike plan from mid-March.
Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) voiced his concerns directly to Waltz, suggesting he should express regret over leaking sensitive information relevant to market-based applications.
While “Signalgate” wasn’t the main focus of the hearing, it did come up about an hour later, as Democrats expressed their frustrations with Waltz while considering his nomination for the UN position.
“There was no classified information shared in that chat,” Waltz responded firmly.
He has been criticized for inadvertently involving Goldberg in the discussion.
The Trump administration maintains that details of the classified chat are technically inaccessible, yet a released version shows Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses discussing targets for a military operation against Husis.
Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) challenged Waltz on Tuesday, accusing Goldberg of misleadingly presenting his addition to the chat. Initially, Waltz claimed he had never met Goldberg and hinted that the editor’s number must have been mistakenly added to his contacts.
Booker didn’t hold back, stating, “I’ve seen you not only stand up, but also lie.” He accused Waltz of demonstrating “profound irresponsibility.”
“It’s not leadership to blame those who are truthful,” Booker continued. “True leadership involves acknowledging mistakes and suggesting ways to improve.”
Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pointed out that “the Signal app is not approved for sharing confidential information by U.S. officials.”
Waltz argued that the use of the Signal app was actually encouraged by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during the Biden administration, but he acknowledged that he was not authorized to share classified information and claimed he hadn’t disclosed anything in the leaked chat.
About a month after the initial scandal, former President Trump nominated Waltz for the UN ambassador position, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio lined up as his national security adviser.
Waltz mentioned that he has continued to receive his White House salary as an advisor.
“I was not fired. The president and vice president never indicated that,” Waltz told Senator Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.).
If confirmed, he would take over the UN role from Dorothy Shea, who has been serving in an acting capacity since January. Initially, Trump had nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for the position but retracted the nomination in March, possibly due to concerns over losing her House seat amid a narrow GOP majority.
