Congressional Republicans are furious about senior Trump administration officials using a group chat to discuss war plans. But they’re not calling for anyone’s head.
Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote in The Atlantic he had — presumably by accident — been added to a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, that was used by several high-level Trump officials to plan the recent attack on the Houthis in Yemen.
There are growing calls within the White House for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who added Goldberg to the group chat, to resign. But GOP lawmakers have pushed back on the idea, with some defense hawks regarding the former congressman and Green Beret as a key link to the administration and someone they can trust to be a serious voice in Trump’s circle.
And many Hill Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are digging in to defend Waltz.
“He was made for that job, and I have full confidence in him,” Johnson told reporters Monday night, hours after separately shrugging off the broader issues with the Signal chat as a “mistake.”
Many lawmakers were shocked — not just because seemingly no one noticed that Goldberg was added to the chat, but that senior officials would discuss sensitive national security information on a platform that could be hacked by foreign adversaries.
“At minimum, it’s totally sloppy,” said Rep. Nick LaLota, a military veteran who previously held top security clearance. Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services committee, said the incident was “unconscionable.”
But Republicans largely dodged questions Monday about launching a congressional investigation, though many said they wanted a briefing. House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast, a Trump ally, called the incident a “mistake” but said that he believed the White House should investigate, not Congress. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers, when asked if there should be any hearings or probes into the issue, said he’s “still trying to find out what happened.”
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker was more willing than others to entertain a formal inquiry, saying, “we’ll definitely look into it.”
Keep an eye on a Senate Intelligence hearing today at 10 a.m., which is set to feature testimony from some top national security officials who were reportedly part of the Signal chat: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
What else we’re watching:
- Talking Tax: Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett, Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith at the White House around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the tax portion of the GOP’s massive party-line bill.
- Johnson meets with Judiciary GOP: Johnson will speak with House Judiciary Republicans on Tuesday to discuss potential alternatives to pursuing impeachments for federal judges who rule against the Trump administration, a person granted anonymity to share details of a private meeting told Hailey. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan said he briefed the president over the weekend on how his panel plans to review how the federal judiciary is working to stop pieces of the administration’s agenda.
- Schumer faces his members: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with his caucus today, the first time since he sparked widespread intra-party anger by advancing the GOP government funding bill. Senate Democrats have largely quashed questions about if Schumer should step down from leadership, at least publicly. But the Tuesday lunch will still be a test for Schumer, as Democrats try to plot a path forward.
Meredith Lee Hill, Hailey Fuchs and Jordain Carney contributed to this report.