Democratic lawmakers laid into former national security adviser Mike Waltz on Tuesday over his role in the Signalgate messaging scandal — saying he lied about aspects of the leaked chats and castigating him for the fact that U.S. officials shared sensitive and potentially classified information on the app.
“I was hoping to hear from you that you had some sense of regret over sharing what was very sensitive, timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app that’s not, as we both know, the appropriate way to share such critical information,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), speaking at the nomination for Waltz to become the Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) argued that Waltz had made false assertions about how a journalist was added to the chat, saying “I’ve seen you not only fail to stand up, but lie.”
Waltz, for his part, blamed the Biden administration for approving the use of the messaging app, saying that the app was “not only authorized, it was recommended” by the Biden administration’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure agency. He said there was no classified military information discussed in any Signal chats he was part of.
In March, The Atlantic reported its editor in chief was included in an unsecured Signal group chat with top Cabinet members — including Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — to coordinate plans to launch air strikes against the Houthi militant group in Yemen.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly denied that any classified information was shared in the chat. Democrats on congressional intelligence panels and former national security officials have insisted that the information in the chats would be considered highly classified and could have jeopardized U.S. fighter pilots if leaked in advance.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) noted that there are multiple investigations into the use of the app currently underway and said those probes haven’t reached a conclusion about whether classified information was shared. He added that it was an “amateurish move” to add a reporter to the chat.
Following the Atlantic’s disclosures, POLITICO reported that Waltz was known to use Signal regularly to set up chats to coordinate official work on national security issues.
Coons pressed Waltz on the continued use of the app.
“It doesn’t seem to me that the administration has taken any action to make sure this doesn’t happen again. There’s been no consequences, and yet the president continues to denounce those who leak information. We both know signal is not a secure way to convey classified information,” Coons said.
Waltz was removed from his post as national security adviser in the wake of the Signal controversy, though Trump promptly nominated him to become U.N. ambassador. He has continued on the government payroll as an adviser in the interim.
But the most pointed criticism came from Booker, who questioned Waltz’s character given the way he handled both the chat and the aftermath.
“What America expects from leaders, especially leaders who are tasked with our national security or could be tasked with the position which you’re nominated for, is for people to stand up and just take responsibility, take accountability. But I heard you just blame Biden,” Booker said.
He added that Waltz “denied” and “deflected” when national security was compromised. Further, Booker said, Waltz “degraded” a journalist.
“That’s not leadership when you blame people that tell the truth,” said Booker. “That’s not leadership when you can’t say the words, ‘I made a mistake. I could have done better.'”
Booker added that he would not be supporting Waltz’s confirmation in part because of how he handled the controversy.
“I cannot support your nomination. I think you’ve shown a failure of leadership at a time that America especially needs people of honor to stand up and show what leadership actually is,” Booker said.
Amy Mackinnon contributed to this report.
