Mike Waltz, who took responsibility for Yemen attack leak, to step down: Report

Mike Waltz is the 1st major official to leave the administration in Trump's second term, which has so far been more stable in terms of personnel than his first.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Waltz, and his top deputy, Alex Wong, are stepping down from their positions, reports CBS News. This is the first major shakeup of Trump's national security team since his return to office in January.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House. (AP)

CBS News first reported the resignations on Thursday, citing multiple individuals familiar with the matter. The White House has yet to issue an official comment.

Waltz, 51, a former Republican congressman from Florida, has served as Trump’s principal national security adviser since the start of the administration’s second term.

However, he has recently faced mounting criticism within the administration. The controversy centered on his admission that he had accidentally added The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a private Signal group used by senior White House aides to coordinate messaging and strategy regarding US military actions against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The March incident drew backlash from senior officials and fueled internal concerns about operational security within Trump's national security apparatus.

Alex Wong, Waltz's deputy, is also departing his post. Wong has been a close aide in both Trump’s first and current terms, playing a key role in Asia-Pacific policy and alliance-building efforts.

Signal chat leak

Waltz had come under fire in the weeks since he acknowledged inadvertently adding Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat group set up to discuss pending attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Waltz included Goldberg in the text thread days before the attack. The text group, which also included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others, discussed details of plans for strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have staged numerous attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Trump later offered a tepid defense of Waltz in an interview with Goldberg and other reporters with the Atlantic.

“Waltz is fine,” Trump said. “I mean, he’s here. He just left this office. He’s fine. He was beat up also.”