Agency: National Security Council (January 20 – May 1, 2025); U.S. Mission to the United Nations (September 2025 – present) Role: 29th National Security Advisor (January 20 – May 1, 2025); 32nd U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (September 21, 2025 – present) Severity: P2

Bio and Background

Michael George Glen Waltz was born on January 31, 1974, in Boynton Beach, Florida, and grew up in Jacksonville. He was raised by a single mother and is the son and grandson of Navy Chiefs. He graduated from Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville and earned a B.A. in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute in 1996, graduating with honors as a Distinguished Military Graduate.

Waltz was commissioned as an armor officer in the U.S. Army in 1996. He graduated from Ranger School and the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2000, becoming a Green Beret. He served 27 years in the Army and National Guard, retiring as a Colonel during his second term in Congress. His military career included multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. He was decorated with four Bronze Stars, including two for Valor. He was the first Army Special Forces soldier elected to Congress.

After active duty, Waltz served in the Pentagon as a defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, and as counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney. He authored Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.

In 2018, Waltz was elected to represent Florida’s 6th congressional district, succeeding Ron DeSantis. He served three terms (2019–2025), chairing the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. In 2021, he was the first member of Congress to call for a full U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghur populations.

Source: Wikipedia, “Mike Waltz,” accessed May 2026; House.gov biography; U.S. House History, Art & Archives.

Role and Function

National Security Advisor (January 20 – May 1, 2025)

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Trump announced Waltz as his National Security Advisor. Waltz resigned his House seat on January 20, 2025, to assume the position. The National Security Advisor coordinates foreign policy and national security decision-making across the executive branch, chairs the Principals Committee of the National Security Council, and serves as the president’s primary advisor on national security matters.

Waltz served as NSA for 101 days — the second shortest tenure for a non-acting officeholder in the position (after Mike Flynn’s 24 days in Trump’s first term). His tenure ended on May 1, 2025, following the Signal group chat controversy.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (September 2025 – present)

On May 1, 2025, Trump announced he would nominate Waltz as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, replacing the withdrawn nomination of Elise Stefanik. The Senate confirmed Waltz on September 19, 2025, in a 47–43 vote after procedural delays and scrutiny over the Signal incident. He assumed the role on September 21, 2025.

Source: PBS, “National security adviser Mike Waltz is tapped for UN in shakeup,” May 1, 2025; KSAT, “Senate confirms Mike Waltz,” September 19, 2025; Wikipedia, “Mike Waltz.”

Documented Actions

The Signal Group Chat Leak (“Signalgate”) — March 2025

Between March 11 and March 15, 2025, Waltz created and managed a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group” to coordinate military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen (Operation Rough Rider). The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, DNI Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Stephen Miller, and special envoy Steve Witkoff — approximately 18 participants total.

On March 11, Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to the chat. Goldberg remained in the chat undetected by other participants. On March 15, Secretary Hegseth posted operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons, and attack sequencing. CIA Director Ratcliffe mentioned the name of an active undercover CIA officer. Vice President Vance and Hegseth expressed contempt for European allies.

Goldberg published his account in The Atlantic on March 24, 2025. The NSC acknowledged the message thread “appears to be authentic.” Trump told NBC News that an aide to Waltz was responsible for adding Goldberg. Press Secretary Leavitt said Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence” in Waltz. White House communications director Steven Cheung characterized criticism of the chat as overblown.

Source: The Atlantic, March 24, 2025; NPR, “The inside story of how Jeffrey Goldberg was sent White House war plans,” March 24, 2025; Wikipedia, “United States government group chat leaks.”

Federal Records Act Violations — Signal Auto-Delete

Waltz set some messages in the Signal chat to auto-delete after one week and others after four weeks. On March 25, 2025, watchdog organization American Oversight filed suit alleging violations of the Federal Records Act, naming Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, Bessent, and Rubio as defendants. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found that plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing that the use of auto-deleting Signal messages violated federal recordkeeping obligations and ordered preservation of remaining messages.

Source: American Oversight v. Hegseth et al., Civil Action No. 25-883 (D.D.C.); Law and Crime, “Watchdog: Trump’s cabinet broke laws by using messaging app,” March 2025.

Removal as National Security Advisor — May 1, 2025

On May 1, 2025, multiple sources reported that Waltz would leave his position as National Security Advisor. ABC News reported that Trump had been “increasingly frustrated” with Waltz following the Signal scandal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was named acting National Security Advisor while retaining his State Department role. Trump announced Waltz’s nomination as UN Ambassador the same day, framing the move as a lateral reassignment rather than a firing.

Waltz denied being removed, insisting he was offered a new position. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) credited Waltz “for acknowledging the huge mistake” but predicted his confirmation hearing would be “pretty brutal.”

Source: ABC News, “Trump replacing Waltz as national security adviser,” May 1, 2025; PBS, “National security adviser Mike Waltz is tapped for UN in shakeup,” May 1, 2025; CBS News, “Mike Waltz out as national security adviser,” May 1, 2025.

Signal Chat as Pattern Evidence for Operation Southern Spear Chain of Command

The “Houthi PC small group” Signal chat Waltz created is documented pattern evidence for the administration’s national-security decision-making style and OPSEC/chain-of-command discipline during the period the Operation Southern Spear boat-strike campaign was authorized. The chat’s participants — Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, Bessent, Wiles — are the same senior national-security principals who made (or were briefed on) the September 2, 2025 decision to begin lethal strikes on small vessels in the Caribbean. The chat established that consumer-app communication was the operating norm at the principals’ level for kinetic decisions; that pattern is directly relevant to any future Truth-and-Reconciliation reconstruction of the boat-strike kill chain.

The boat-strike campaign had killed approximately 207 people across at least 63 strikes by early June 2026. See U.S. Boat Strikes Tracker — Operation Southern Spear (Caribbean & Eastern Pacific) for full chain-of-command and legal detail.

TikTok Policy Reversal — January 2025

Shortly after becoming National Security Advisor, Waltz reversed his previous congressional position supporting a ban on TikTok in the United States, aligning with Trump’s changed stance on the issue. As a congressman, Waltz had been a vocal advocate for banning TikTok on national security grounds.

Source: Wikipedia, “Mike Waltz.”

Controversies

Signal leak of classified military operations: The central controversy of Waltz’s tenure — inadvertently adding a journalist to a group chat where Cabinet officials discussed imminent military operations, including targets, weapons systems, and timing. The Pentagon inspector general opened an investigation. Multiple legal experts characterized the use of a consumer messaging app for operational military planning as an extraordinary security lapse, regardless of the accidental inclusion of a journalist.

Auto-deleting messages on government business: The use of Signal’s auto-delete feature for government communications raised federal records preservation concerns independently of the leak itself. The Federal Records Act requires preservation of records documenting government decisions. A federal court found likely violations.

Upward failure: Waltz’s reassignment from NSA to UN Ambassador after a security breach that would have ended most government careers was characterized by critics as a pattern of consequence-free failure within the Trump administration. Rather than accountability, Waltz received a Cabinet-level ambassadorship.

Source: American Oversight v. Hegseth et al.; multiple news sources cited above.

Truth and Reconciliation Considerations

Waltz’s TRC significance is distinct from officials whose accountability rests on policy ideology or political strategy. His accountability centers on competence, security, and the administration’s treatment of classified information.

TRC Theme 1: The Security Implications of the Signal Leak

The inadvertent disclosure of military operational details — targets, weapons, timing — to an unauthorized recipient represents a security breach that, for lower-ranking military or intelligence personnel, would typically result in investigation, loss of clearance, and potential prosecution under the Espionage Act or related statutes.

TRC questions for Waltz:

• What security protocols, if any, governed the use of commercial messaging apps for national security discussions?
• Were military or intelligence personnel consulted about the security of using Signal for operational planning?
• What damage assessment was conducted after the leak became public?
• Were any military or intelligence operations compromised as a result of the disclosed information?

TRC Theme 2: Accountability Asymmetry

The contrast between the consequences Waltz faced (lateral transfer to an ambassadorship) and the consequences that lower-ranking personnel typically face for security breaches of comparable severity is a documented pattern in the Trump administration’s treatment of senior officials.

TRC questions for Waltz:

• Who made the decision to nominate Waltz for UN Ambassador rather than seek his resignation?
• Was there any internal discussion about the precedent set by rewarding a security breach with a promotion?
• How does the administration reconcile its prosecution of leakers and whistleblowers with its treatment of the Signal incident?

TRC Theme 3: Federal Records Preservation

The use of auto-deleting messages for government decision-making raises questions about whether the administration systematically evaded federal recordkeeping obligations — not only in this incident but as a pattern across agencies.

TRC questions for Waltz:

• Was the use of auto-delete settings a deliberate choice to avoid records preservation?
• Were other government communications similarly conducted on platforms designed to destroy records?
• What guidance, if any, did the White House Counsel’s office provide on Signal use for government business?

Legal Status and Investigations

• No criminal charges
• Pentagon Inspector General investigation into the Signal group chat incident (opened 2025; status as of May 2026 not publicly reported)
• Federal lawsuit: American Oversight v. Hegseth et al., Civil Action No. 25-883 (D.D.C.) — Waltz not a named defendant but central to the underlying facts
• Senate confirmation: Confirmed as UN Ambassador 47–43 on September 19, 2025

Key Connections

• Donald Trump — Direct (appointed by the president to both positions)
• Susie Wiles — Direct (White House Chief of Staff)
• Pete Hegseth — Direct (Secretary of Defense; co-participant in Signal chat)
• Marco Rubio — Direct (Secretary of State; replaced Waltz as acting NSA)
• Stephen Miller — Direct (Deputy Chief of Staff; participant in Signal chat)
• Jeffrey Goldberg — Inadvertent (The Atlantic editor added to Signal chat)

For Trump Supporters: Questions Worth Considering

Mike Waltz is a genuine American war hero — a Green Beret with four Bronze Stars, multiple combat tours, and decades of military service. That record is not in dispute and deserves respect regardless of political affiliation.

Here’s a question worth sitting with: If a National Security Advisor in a Democratic administration had accidentally added a conservative media editor to a group chat where Cabinet officials were discussing imminent military strikes — including targets, weapons, and timing — and that advisor was then given a UN ambassadorship rather than being held accountable, how would you react? Would you accept the explanation that it was an innocent mistake and the lateral move was appropriate? Or would you demand accountability for a security breach that could have endangered American service members? The standard you apply should not depend on which party holds the White House.

Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Mike Waltz,” accessed May 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Waltz
2. PBS, “National security adviser Mike Waltz is tapped for UN in shakeup,” May 1, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/first-major-shakeup-of-trumps-second-term-as-national-security-adviser-mike-waltz-is-out
3. ABC News, “Trump replacing Waltz as national security adviser, Rubio takes role for now,” May 1, 2025. https://abcnews.com/Politics/michael-waltz-expected-depart-trumps-national-security-adviser/story?id=121360051
4. CBS News, “Mike Waltz out as national security adviser,” May 1, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-mike-waltz-alex-wong/
5. KSAT, “Senate confirms Mike Waltz as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations,” September 19, 2025. https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2025/09/19/senate-confirms-mike-waltz-as-trumps-ambassador-to-the-united-nations-after-months-of-delays/
6. NPR, “The inside story of how Jeffrey Goldberg was sent White House war plans,” March 24, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/24/nx-s1-5338784/how-a-journalist-became-an-inadvertent-eavesdropper-on-national-security-secrets
7. Wikipedia, “United States government group chat leaks,” accessed May 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_government_group_chat_leaks
8. The Oklahoman, “Did Mike Waltz invite a magazine editor to a national security chat?” March 25, 2025. https://eu.oklahoman.com/story/news/nation-world/2025/03/25/did-mike-waltz-invite-a-magazine-editor-to-a-national-security-chat/82638948007/
9. American Oversight v. Hegseth et al., Civil Action No. 25-883 (D.D.C.), Memorandum Opinion. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278806/gov.uscourts.dcd.278806.36.0.pdf
10. Law and Crime, “Watchdog: Trump’s cabinet broke laws by using messaging app,” March 2025. https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/unlawful-destruction-of-federal-records-hegseth-rubio-and-others-broke-multiple-laws-by-using-disappearing-messaging-app-to-discuss-military-strikes-watchdog-says/
11. House.gov, “Biography — U.S. Representative Mike Waltz.” https://waltz.house.gov/about/

Cross-References

• Pete Hegseth — Former Fox News Host; U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
• Stephen Miller – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
• Susie Wiles — Political Accountability Profile
• Steven Cheung — White House Communications Director