On Saturday, March 29, United States President Donald Trump clarified that he would not fire anyone over an accidental leak of his administration’s plan to fire an airstrike against the Houthis, an Islamic political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s.
Source: AP NEWS
Trump stated in an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker that he does not fire people due to “fake news and witch hunts,” per AP News. He also expressed confidence in Mike Waltz, his national security advisor, and Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense.
Trump’s attitude endured even after Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic magazine, to a group text using the Signal encrypted messaging service where top officials were discussing plans to attack the Houthis. Further, Hegseth shared details in the chat about how the strike would unfold before it took place.
The Atlantic then published an article on the internal exchange, a move that shocked the national security establishment.
Trump’s hesitation to fire any members of his administration stems from his eagerness to avoid repeating some of the turnover that characterized his first term. Mike Flynn, his first national security advisor, was removed in February 2017, after only a few weeks during the early phase of the Russia Investigation.
When asked if firing Waltz came up in conversation, Trump insisted that he had not heard anything about the matter and maintained that he is the only person who is entitled to make such a decision.
