Reports: National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Deputy Alex Wong Out at National Security Council
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong will be ousted Thursday from their roles at the National Security Council, according to reports.
Reports from CBS News, Fox News, and Politico state that Waltz and Wong will be leaving their posts, and that President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is having conversations with National Security Council staff.
Waltz came under scrutiny after he put together an encrypted Signal group chat that mistakenly included the Atlantic‘s Jeffrey Goldberg, which inadvertently disclosed discussions with top Trump administration officials about plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen.
One source familiar with the situation told CBS News that the president believes that enough time has passed since the controversy that Waltz and Wong’s departure can be framed as part of a reorganization and that he initially resisted efforts to remove his national security adviser to avoid the appearance of bowing to outside pressure.
“Wong served in the first Trump administration as deputy special representative for North Korea and also as deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department. In announcing his appointment, Mr. Trump said that Wong helped negotiate his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un,” CBS News wrote.
Politico wrote that the ouster could happen any moment but is not necessarily final.
“Names for a replacement have been discussed around the West Wing for weeks, but the plans to remove Waltz potentially as soon as this week gained steam in recent days, according to two of the people and another person close to the White House,” the outlet continued.
Politico noted, citing sources familiar with this matter, a lead pick could be Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East who is leading negotiations with Russia, Iran, and Hamas in Palestine.
Waltz represented a camp that was more hawkish towards Iran as the administration as resumed U.S. negotiations with the Iranian regime over how to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Waltz, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are highly suspicious of Iran and remain skeptical of the chances of diplomacy with the Middle Eastern country.
On the obverse side, Witkoff, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance have all asserted that the U.S. should explore diplomatic solutions with Iran. Vance remains highly involved in Iran policy discussions.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
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