Mike Waltz, a former congressman, lied about his communications with Jeffrey Goldberg, an editor at The Atlantic. Jeffrey Goldberg accuses Waltz of fabricating the story. Waltz claimed that Goldbergโs phone number โsucked intoโ his phone before Waltz added it to a Signal group chat. This group chat discussed airstrikes on Yemen.
Goldberg, however, denies this claim. He told NBCโs Kristen Welker that phone numbers donโt just โsuckโ into phones. โMy number was in his phone because my number is in his phone,โ Goldberg said. He added that the explanation is simple: Waltz added him to the group chat by mistake.
Waltz had claimed he had never spoken to Goldberg and didnโt know him. But a viral photo shows the two of them at an event in 2021. Goldberg says Waltz is not telling the truth. โHeโs telling everyone that heโs never met me or spoken to me. Thatโs just simply not true,โ Goldberg said.
Goldberg Responds to Waltzโs Claims
Goldberg finds it strange that Waltz is denying their past interactions. Jeffrey Goldberg accuses Waltz of making false denials that they have met. He said that this situation has become โsomewhat farcical.โ Goldberg doesnโt think there is any hidden agenda here. โMy number was in his phone. He mistakenly added me to the group chat. Thatโs all.โ
Goldberg did not go into detail about past talks with Waltz. But he stands by his claim that Waltz is lying about their interactions.
Waltzโs Team Denies the Claims
The National Security Council spokesman, Brian Hughes, pushed back against Goldbergโs accusations. Hughes said that Mike Waltz does not know Goldberg and doesnโt remember meeting him. Hughes explained that Waltz met thousands of people during his time in Congress.
โMike Waltz is a decorated Green Beret, combat veteran. Iโll take his word over Jeffrey Goldbergโs any day,โ Hughes said.
The Signal Chat Controversy
The Signal chat in question was created on March 11. It was called โHouthi PC small groupโ and discussed preparations for airstrikes in Yemen. Jeffrey Goldberg accuses Waltz of being dishonest about how his number ended up on Waltzโs phone. Waltz invited Goldberg to this chat, but Waltz later claimed Goldbergโs phone number somehow ended up on his phone without him knowing.
Waltz said that he had never met Goldberg, didnโt know him, and had never talked to him. Some Trump allies doubt Waltzโs version of events. They feel that Waltz is not being truthful about how Goldbergโs number ended up on his phone.
White House and Trumpโs Support for Waltz
Even though some people doubt Waltzโs story, the White House and Trumpโs team continue to support him. They have called out Goldbergโs reporting in the past. Jeffrey Goldberg accuses Waltz of manipulating the narrative, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Goldberg of lying about weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 Iraq War.
Leavitt also mentioned Goldbergโs 2020 story about Trump allegedly calling U.S. soldiers buried in France โsuckersโ and โlosers.โ Trump denied saying this, but some Democrats still believe the claim. Goldbergโs story faced challenges when Navy records showed that weather, not the Secret Service, caused the canceled visit to the cemetery.
