White House declares case closed on Signal chat scandal
- The White House's review of the Signal chat incident has concluded a week after its revelation.
- No disciplinary actions were taken against officials involved in the incident, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
- The White House aims to move past the controversy while facing minimal backlash from Republicans.
In the United States, the White House announced that its review of the Signal group chat incident, which involved high-ranking officials discussing military plans, has concluded. This decision came just a week after news broke that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included in a group chat discussing sensitive operations concerning Yemen. Despite the scandal's serious implications, including criticism from Democrats calling for the resignation of some officials, the Trump administration has chosen not to take punitive actions, maintaining support for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who created the chat. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed that steps would be taken to prevent future occurrences, although specific actions were not disclosed. The administration remains focused on moving forward, having faced little pushback from Republican members of Congress regarding the incident. Additionally, the National Security Council responded to media reports suggesting that Signal was being used to transmit classified information, labeling those allegations as false. The controversy highlighted concerns over security protocols and classified information handling within the Trump administration, drawing comparisons to past controversies regarding information security and classified materials.