White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that no ‘war plans’ were discussed in the stunning text chain among top national security officials that included a magazine editor before an attack on the Houthis.
Leavitt commented on the extraordinary security breach Tuesday as President Trump put in a good word for his suddenly embattled national security advisor Mike Waltz. She reaffirmed his ‘confidence’ in Waltz, even as an anonymous source close to the White House called him a ‘f***ing idiot’ for his role in the text chain.
And as Trump did in his initial reaction to the bombshell news, where the president claimed not to have knowledge of the text chain when asked about it, Leavitt pointed to the success of the military operation itself – saying that’s what matters most.
Like Defense Secretary Hegseth, Leavitt began by attacking Atlantic magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote that he was added to the text chain after getting an invitation from Waltz.
‘So you are talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who has made a profession of peddling hoaxes, time and time again,’ Hegseth said in his first comments on the scandal. He said Goldberg ‘peddles in garbage’ while saying ‘nobody was texting war plans.
That prompted a rebuke from Goldberg, who told MSNBC: ”They were running a war plan on a messaging app and didn’t even know who was in the conversation, it’s an obvious, ridiculous, security breach and if you notice, he didn’t actually answer the question.’
‘Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin,’ she said – attacking the author who revealed the information.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked the editor who revealed the top-level text chain about a looming attack on the Houthis, and said there were no ‘war plans’ discussed
‘Here are the facts about his latest story: 1. No “war plans” were discussed. 2. No classified material was sent to the thread. 3. The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible.’
That line did not specify whether the White House lawyer had authorized the use of the private encrypted messaging app. Ordinarily top officials discussing sensitive military plans would be required to communicate in a secure area called a SCIF.
Then she confirmed an internal probe of the matter – amid calls in Congress for an investigation.
‘As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread. Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump,’ she said.
President Donald Trump defended his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz in the wake of the Signal app scandal
Vice President JD Vance (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) were among the officials in the group chat
Trump weighed in to back up Waltz after a person ‘close to the White House’ tore into him in a comment to Politico. ‘Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f***ing idiot,’ said the source.
However Trump told NBC News: ‘Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.’
He also blamed staff. ‘It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there,’ Trump said. Trump called the incident ‘the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one.’
Leavitt provided still more support from Trump for Waltz, as top intelligence officials were set to be grilled on the matter in a Senate hearing.
‘As I said yesterday, the President continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz. Stories claiming otherwise are driven by anonymous sources who clearly do not speak to the President, and written by reporters who are thirsty for a “scoop,”‘ she posted on X.
