Mike Waltz removed as security advisor after war plan leaked
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has announced a major shake-up in his national security team.
Mike Waltz, currently National Security Advisor, is being shifted to the role of US Ambassador to the United Nations.
The Guardian, citing sources, reported that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, will leave their positions after losing the trust of key administration officials and finding themselves without allies at the White House.
Controversies
Waltz's tenure marred by controversy
To recall, Waltz had accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat that discussed sensitive information about missile strikes in Yemen before they took place.
Although Trump considered firing Waltz over the incident, he decided against it after an internal review revealed he had accidentally saved Goldberg's number.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will temporarily take over Waltz's position.
Trump also announced that he would nominate Waltz as the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Struggles
Strained relationships and external pressures
Per CBS News, several factors contributed to the change.
Sources told the channel that the White House believed Waltz did not thoroughly vet National Security Council (NSC) members, in addition to the Signal scandal and strained working relationship between Waltz and top officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles.
After the Signal controversy, Waltz consulted JD Vance on repairing the relationships.
Allies
Pressure from Trump's allies and far-right activists
But even after being cleared in an internal investigation into Signalgate (the Signal chat controversy), Waltz was criticized for his hawkish approach and apparent discord with Trump's "America first" agenda.
Waltz's position was also weakened by outside pressure from Trump's allies, such as Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and far-right activist Laura Loomer, who reportedly pushed a conspiracy theory about Wong's alleged connections to China.
Announcement
NCS left without overarching strategy
In Waltz's absence, the NSC doesn't have an overall strategy on major foreign national security issues, including US-China ties and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Waltz and Wong's exits follow the firing of at least six NSC employees in early April.
One source told CBS News that those firings happened soon after Laura Loomer, a right-wing personality, visited the Oval Office.
She had given Trump opposition research on NSC workers she thinks are neoconservatives or not loyal enough to the president.