Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz and deputy to step down

Washington — US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz is being forced out of his job, four people briefed on the matter said on Thursday, in the first major shake-up of Trump’s inner circle since he took office in January.

Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, an Asia expert who was a state department official focused on North Korea in Trump’s first term, is also leaving his post, two people said.

Waltz, a 51-year-old former Republican legislator from Florida, faced criticism inside the White House when he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides.

Trump said on Thursday he was nominating Waltz to be the next US ambassador to the UN. Trump also said in a social media post that secretary of state Marco Rubio will serve as interim, national security advisor. 

The National Security Council (NSC) did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The national security adviser is a powerful role but one that does not require Senate confirmation. The NSC is the main body used by presidents to co-ordinate security strategy, and its staff often make key decisions regarding the US’s approach to the world’s most volatile conflicts.

Signal scandal

Waltz was blamed for accidentally adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing details of an imminent US bombing campaign in Yemen. The Atlantic reported on the mishap.

At a subsequent cabinet meeting with Waltz in the room, Trump expressed his preference for holding such conversations in a secure setting, a clear sign of his displeasure. But he and others in the White House expressed confidence in Waltz at the time.

Waltz also attended Trump’s televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Democrats who were outraged about the Signal scandal welcomed the news about Waltz. “About time,” said Democratic senator Adam Schiff.

The Signal controversy was not the only mark against Waltz, sources said.

A person familiar with the cabinet’s internal dynamics said Waltz was too hawkish for the war-averse Trump and was seen as not effectively co-ordinating foreign policy among a variety of agencies, a key role for the national security adviser.

“The system isn’t running properly” under Waltz, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Waltz’s ouster could be of concern to US partners in Europe and Asia who have seen him as supportive of traditional alliances such as Nato and tempering more antagonistic views towards them from some other Trump aides, according to one foreign diplomat in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reuters