Only glitch in two months: Trump downplays Yemen war plans chat leak on Signal

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed concerns over the texting of sensitive military strike plans against Yemen’s Houthis to a group chat that included a journalist, calling it “the only glitch in two months” of his administration.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers criticised the administration for its careless handling of highly classified information.

Trump told NBC News that the lapse “turned out not to be a serious one,” and articulated his continued support for national security adviser Mike Waltz, who mistakenly added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the chain that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for the strike.

“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said in the NBC interview. The president also appeared to point blame on an unnamed Waltz aide for Goldberg being added to the chain. “It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there.”

The use of the Signal messaging app to discuss a sensitive operation has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers. Senior administration officials have struggled to explain why the publicly available app was used to discuss such a delicate matter.

One official on the Signal chain, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, acknowledged during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday that she was traveling overseas during the exchange. She wouldn’t say whether she was using her personal or government-issued phone because the matter is under review by the White House National Security Council.

Both Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who was also a participant in the Signal exchange and also testified at Tuesday’s intelligence hearing, faced blistering criticism from lawmakers.

“This is an embarrassment,” said Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat. “This is utterly unprofessional. There’s been no apology. There’s been no recognition of the gravity of this error.”