Mike Waltz is stepping down from his role as national security advisor to take on the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. This announcement came from President Donald Trump’s post on TRUTH social media on Thursday.
In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take over Waltz’s responsibilities as national security advisor.
Waltz’s departure follows significant criticism related to the Signalgate scandal. He was involved in a situation where sensitive national security information was shared in a group chat that included Jeffery Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic. Although Trump initially defended Waltz during the fallout from the scandal, reports suggest that Waltz lost the president’s trust in his role.
Rep. Elise Stefanik from New York was previously nominated by Trump for the UN ambassador position, but her nomination was withdrawn. This decision was made in an effort to maintain the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
This story has been updated to include Trump’s statement regarding Waltz’s reassignment.