Mike Waltz faces grilling over Signal chat

UNITED NATIONS — Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is facing questioning Tuesday from lawmakers for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. The Republican former Florida congressman appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee. The hearing is providing senators with the first opportunity to grill Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high-level national security officials. Hegseth shared the same information in another Signal chat that included family, but Trump has made clear Hegseth has his support. Waltz was removed as national security adviser in May — replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and nominated for the U.N. role. Trump praised Waltz in the announcement, saying, "From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress, and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first." United Nations is facing major changes If confirmed, Waltz would arrive at the U.N. at a moment of great change. The world body is reeling from Trump's decision to slash foreign assistance — affecting its humanitarian aid agencies — and it anticipates U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget. Under an "America First" foreign policy realignment, the White House has asserted that "some of the U.N.'s agencies and bodies have drifted" from their founding mission and "act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism." With America being the largest United Nations donor, cutting U.S. funding to the U.N. budget would greatly impair operations. Facing financial instability, the U.N. has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The U.N. is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars. John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who was also national security adviser during Trump's first term, was critical of the current state of the U.N. "It's probably in the worst shape it's been in since it was founded," Bolton, now an outspoken Trump critic, recently told The Associated Press. Waltz has been meeting with senators Waltz spent the last several weeks meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs committee. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Monday that she and Waltz discussed a wide range of issues, including whether the Trump administration would use the U.N. to strengthen alliances and combat Chinese influence. "I asked him questions about 'Signalgate,' but I also talked to him about how we are going to sway other nations within the United Nations to our side, in light of how much influence the PRC is having on other nations," the Illinois senator said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China. Even with Democratic opposition, Waltz only needs a majority in the 53-47 Senate, which Republicans control. "He'll be fine. Mike won't have any issues," said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. "I mean, the Democrats are gonna do their thing. Whatever. Mike's used to taking incoming fire." It is unclear how Waltz would approach the job. Trump's first nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, had built a track record in Congress of criticizing the U.N. She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of U.S. funding. She was expected to be confirmed, but Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination in March, citing risks to the GOP's historically slim House majority. At the time, the loss of a mere handful of seats could have swung the House majority to Democrats and derailed their recently successful efforts to enact Trump's sweeping agenda. Waltz is still on the White House payroll Waltz, whose Florida House seat was filled during a special election earlier this year, has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Waltz earning an annual salary of $195,200. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Waltz stayed on to "ensure a smooth and successful transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA." Waltz was the first Green Beret elected to the House and easily won reelection for a fourth term in November before Trump asked him to join the administration. ___ Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this report.