Washington has found itself at the centre of a new security scandal: US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz used a private Gmail account for official communications, The Washington Post reports. The revelation comes just a week after it was revealed that officials close to Donald Trump discussed military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen on Signal.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Waltz received official documents, including work schedules and other data, on his personal e-mail, which, although not classified, could be used by vulnerable parties.
Gmail, Signal and military operations
According to journalists, one of his colleagues on the National Security Council (NSC) used Gmail for technical discussions of military positions and weapons systems during the active conflict.
Despite accusations of breaching security protocols, the White House assures that Waltz did not transmit any classified information through unsecured channels.
“Waltz never sent or would have sent classified information through open channels,” said NSC spokesman Brian Hughes.
At the same time, it became known that Waltz created chats on Signal with members of the Cabinet to discuss sensitive issues regarding Somalia, Ukraine and Russia’s war.
Trump’s anger and political consequences
The disclosure of this data caused Donald Trump to be very unhappy. According to The Washington Post, the US president even considered firing Waltz, but decided not to do so in order not to play along with the media.
“This incident is a serious blow to Waltz,” a senior White House official said.
However, after internal consultations, the National Security Adviser was advised to work more closely with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to avoid further leaks.
