Trump's UN Ambassador Pick Was Fired Over Leaked Signal Chats -- Who Is Michael Waltz? What To Know About The Ex-US NSA?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Senate on Friday confirmed ex-National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, officially filling the final open position in President Donald Trum 's Cabinet after eight months of delays and a withdrawn nominee.

Waltz's confirmation followed a bipartisan vote, which came after a procedural setback had returned his nomination to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a second vote earlier in the week.

Also Read: UN Lays Out Survival Plan as Trump Threatens to Slash Funding

The Senate did not vote on a separate matter that would formally designate Waltz the U.S. representative at the General Assembly, due to objections from Democrats, according to a person familiar with the Senate deliberations. Still, the White House said Waltz will be able to participate in the annual U.N. gathering next week as the U.S. representative on the U.N. Security Council.

A separate person, to be announced, will represent the U.S. during sessions of the General Assembly, as reported by Associated Press.

“As President Trump previewed today, he will present a historic speech to the United Nations General Assembly, where he will discuss his unprecedented record in securing peace around the world,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

“Under this President's leadership, our country is strong again, which has made the entire globe more stable. Thanks to today's confirmation vote, Mike Waltz will also represent the United States as Ambassador.”

His confirmation quiets swirling questions about what kind of political capital the White House was asserting to get him seated as ambassador.

It is unclear why Waltz wasn't advanced before Democrats employed the procedural move last week, given that his nomination moved out of committee last month with bipartisan support.

A State Department spokesperson said they had worked closely with the White House“to advance every one of our nominees as quickly as possible,” including Waltz.

A Democratic congressional aide criticised the administration this week, claiming there had been“no urgency” in securing Mike Waltz's confirmation before the U.N. General Assembly, which begins Tuesday with President Trump scheduled to speak early on.

Waltz was once NSA, but...

Waltz, who briefly served as Trump's national security adviser, was dismissed in May after he inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg , the editor of The Atlantic magazine, to a group text using the Signal encrypted messaging service, where top officials were discussing plans to attack the Houthis.

The leak triggered a storm after Goldberg wrote a first-person account of getting a connection request from what appeared to be Waltz on March 11 on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging service used by journalists and government officials in the United States.

Although he denies being removed from the position, Waltz maintains that the chat complied with the administration's cybersecurity standards.

The Pentagon's inspector general is currently investigating the incident.

Also Read: iPhone glitch behind White House Signal Chat debacle? How Mike Waltz ended up adding journalist to 'Houthi PC group'

Trump tapped Waltz in May to represent the U.S. at the United Nations after the withdrawal of the previous nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, over concerns about the Republicans' House majority. During his Senate confirmation hearing months later, Waltz echoed the priorities of his bosses - Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio - of pursuing major reforms to the 80-year-old international organisation.

Who is Mike Waltz?

Mike Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from St. Augustine Beach, Florida, representing the Daytona Beach area since 2019. A well-known China hawk, Waltz was also the first Green Beret elected to Congress.

Waltz has served on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees and has been an outspoken advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the military and its academies, as reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Before his congressional career, Waltz worked as the defence policy director at the Pentagon under Secretaries of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates during the George W. Bush administration.

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He also served as counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney in the White House, according to USA Today.

With 27 years of service in the U.S. Army and National Guard, Waltz's military career is distinguished. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, he was commissioned as a lieutenant, became a Green Beret, and served in Army Special Forces. He deployed multiple times to combat zones across the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan, earning four Bronze Stars, two of which were for valour.

In addition to his military service, Waltz founded Metis Solutions, a defence and intelligence contracting firm, which he sold in 2020, reportedly earning between $5 and $25 million, according to USA Today.

In his book“Hard Truths: Think and Lead Like a Green Beret,” published earlier this year, Waltz outlined a comprehensive strategy for deterring aggression from China.

Waltz at UN

Waltz's arrival will coincide with a time of great change for the U.N., as it is still reeling from Trump's decision this year to slash foreign assistance funding, which has hugely affected its humanitarian aid agencies and foreshadowed additional U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget.

“We should have one place in the world where everyone can talk - where China, Russia, Europe and the developing world can come together and resolve conflicts,” Waltz told senators.“But after 80 years, it's drifted from its core mission of peacemaking.”

Also Read: Trump to visit Beijing in 2026, meet Xi Jinping next month in South Korea as US and China make progress on TikTok deal

It's critical for America to have a confirmed U.N. permanent representative.

“It's critical for America to have a confirmed U.N. permanent representative,” Robert Wood, former deputy U.S. ambassador, said.“However, he's got a tough job ahead in trying to make the case for a number of MAGA foreign policy positions that will certainly encounter much opposition at the U.N.”

(With inputs from AP, USA Today)

Key Takeaways

• Mike Waltz's confirmation as UN Ambassador marks the end of a lengthy nomination process.
• Waltz's military and political experience positions him to address ongoing global conflicts.
• The U.S. faces challenges in maintaining its influence at the UN under Trump's foreign policy.

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