White House signals the end of the Signalgate investigation: “case closed”
In this DML Report…
The White House declared the case closed on National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally adding The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal chat discussing Yemen airstrikes. The breach, revealed a week earlier, exposed sensitive plans among top officials—including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—prompting initial calls for Waltz’s firing from both parties. President Donald Trump, after privately weighing dismissal, opted to keep Waltz, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirming Trump’s “full confidence” in him and the team, shifting focus away from the leak as a new policy rollout took precedence.
Trump’s decision coincided with his unveiling of steep reciprocal tariffs, dubbed “Liberation Day,” set to hit global trade on April 2, targeting foreign automakers with a 100% rate and other imports at 10-20%. In an NBC “Meet the Press” interview, Trump shrugged off potential price hikes, arguing they’d boost U.S. manufacturing, despite warnings from dealers about affordability and economic fallout predictions from Canada’s ambassador and Mexico’s economy minister. The tariffs, designed to raise revenue and cut taxes, eclipsed the Signal scandal, redirecting public and media attention as global stocks slid and allies braced for impact.
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The Signal chat fallout saw Waltz take full blame for adding Goldberg, a known Trump critic, to the “Houthi PC small group” thread, which included strike coordinates and timings—details some lawmakers, like Senator Roger Wicker, argued should’ve been classified. A federal judge ordered the administration to preserve all related messages from March 11-15, amid bipartisan demands for an inspector general probe, though Trump’s earlier firing of multiple IGs complicates that effort. The White House downplayed the breach’s severity, with Trump allies like Senator Tom Cotton deflecting criticism toward past administrations, while Waltz remains in his role, backed by the president.