The national security adviser who reportedly leaked a military secret “has learned a lesson,” the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has spoken in defense of his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz following reports that the latter inadvertently included a journalist in a secret chat discussing military strategies in Yemen.
On Monday, The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg broke a story detailing purported conversations among top members of the administration regarding planned airstrikes against Houthi rebels in the Middle Eastern nation.
The leak reportedly prompted calls for Waltz’s dismissal and accusations within the administration that he is reckless, negligent, and incompetent. Sources cited by Politico on Tuesday indicated that the fallout would largely depend on Trump’s reaction to the incident.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the incident, referring to the situation as “the only glitch in two months” and asserting that it had “no impact at all” on the military operation.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president said.
Trump ordered a “powerful military action” against the Yemen-based Houthi militants last Saturday, accusing them of conducting an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.” The group, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, has controlled large portions of Yemen – including the capital, Sanaa – since the mid-2010s.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the US airstrikes in the country for contributing to civilian deaths and worsening the humanitarian crisis. Some foreign policy analysts have warned that US strikes risk escalating tensions with Iran, which Washington accuses of supporting Houthis, and could lead to a broader regional conflict.