Waltz was photographed using Signal during Trump’s Cabinet meeting a day before his removal

President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, was captured using the secure messaging app Signal during a Cabinet meeting before his replacement was announced. The photograph, taken by a Reuters photographer, revealed Waltz communicating with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy.

The use of Signal by Waltz raised eyebrows, especially after a previous incident in which he inadvertently added a journalist to a group chat involving sensitive national security discussions. Despite the controversy, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended Waltz’s use of the app, stating that Signal is an approved application on government phones.

In a surprising turn of events, President Trump announced that he would nominate Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take on the role of interim national security adviser in addition to his current duties.

Although Trump publicly supported Waltz, sources revealed that the president had grown increasingly frustrated with him due to the Signal controversy. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog had previously criticized a former official for using Signal, citing violations of the department’s records retention policies and unauthorized communication of sensitive information.

The Department of Defense’s acting Inspector General initiated an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal during the Yemen attack. A subsequent probe was launched after Hegseth shared details of the attack timing with family members and his attorney. The expanded investigation was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Inspector General’s statement outlined the objectives of the evaluation, which include reviewing compliance with Department of Defense policies and procedures for using commercial messaging apps for official business, as well as adherence to classification and records retention requirements.

Despite calls for further investigation into the Signal chat related to the Yemen attack, Republican leaders have blocked Democratic efforts in Congress. The controversy surrounding the use of secure messaging apps in government circles continues to raise concerns about transparency and accountability in national security communications.