Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, is set to resign following a controversy involving a leaked chat about airstrikes in Yemen. According to US media, Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, are leaving. While CBS News confirmed this, Fox News reported President Trump would soon address the matter.
Waltz, a former US congressman, is the first high-profile official to leave the Trump administration during its second term, which has so far been more stable than its first. A White House official refrained from confirming the reports, stating they did not wish to preempt any official announcement.
The controversy began in March when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed that Waltz had accidentally added him to a chat on the messaging app Signal. The chat discussed plans for airstrikes on Huthi rebels in Yemen and included sensitive details such as the timing of the airstrikes and the specific targets.
Among the messages exchanged were precise instructions about the attacks, including information on when the US warplanes would launch and the targets they would hit. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also came under scrutiny, with texts detailing the strike plans, including the expected timing of drone strikes and real-time updates on the attack’s aftermath.
Waltz’s resignation marks the first significant personnel change in Trump’s second term, which has thus far seen fewer shakeups than his earlier tenure.
