U.N. nominee Mike Waltz defends Signal chat use

Former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz faced questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday about the use of a private Signal chat app to discuss military operations.

Appearing before a Senate panel on his nomination hearing to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Waltz stood by the use of the app during a March group chat of high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat, said Mr. Waltz should have known about the need to protect military secrets based on his past as a former Army Green Beret officer and member of Congress.

“We both know Signal is not an appropriate secure code to communicate this sensitive information,” Mr. Coons said.

Mr. Waltz defended the use of Signal, insisting that no classified information was discussed and noting that he was following the lead of the previous administration.

“The use of Signal as an encrypted app is not only authorized; it was recommended in the Biden administration’s admin system guidance,” he said.

The incident became public when The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg said he apparently was inadvertently added to the group chat list.