عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

White House, Shaken by Signal Scandal, Says Case Is Closed

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responds to a question from the news media during a briefing outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responds to a question from the news media during a briefing outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
TT
20
TT

White House, Shaken by Signal Scandal, Says Case Is Closed

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responds to a question from the news media during a briefing outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responds to a question from the news media during a briefing outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)

The Trump administration sought to put the scandal over its use of the Signal messaging app behind it on Monday, calling it case closed, even as the breach provoked bipartisan criticism and opened up divisions inside the White House.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that the administration maintained confidence in National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has faced criticism for apparently adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen.

Leavitt said that steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of the incident, though she did not elaborate.

"As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team and this case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned," Leavitt said on Monday.

"There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again, and we're moving forward," she said.

The Yemen bombing campaign, which targeted Houthi militants that have been attacking commercial ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza, occurred in mid-March, but was disclosed publicly by Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg on March 24.

Goldberg had been added to the Signal chat alongside several high-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Waltz's handling of the incident irked some senior members of Trump's team but for now he appears to have survived the incident, a source familiar with the situation said. Another source, a Trump ally, said the president had expressed anger at Waltz's conduct in private.

On Monday, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, calling for the intelligence community to conduct an independent probe into the Signal leak.

The top Republican and Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee said on March 27 they had asked the Pentagon to investigate the matter.

Most Viewed

 
World

UN Aid Chief Says to Cut 20% of Staff Due to Funding Shortfall

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting called following a recent missile strike by Russia on a residential area in Ukraine, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting called following a recent missile strike by Russia on a residential area in Ukraine, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
TT
20
TT

UN Aid Chief Says to Cut 20% of Staff Due to Funding Shortfall

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting called following a recent missile strike by Russia on a residential area in Ukraine, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting called following a recent missile strike by Russia on a residential area in Ukraine, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will cut 20% of its staff as it faces a shortfall of $58 million, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher has told staff after OCHA's largest donor - the United States - cut funding.

"OCHA currently has a workforce of around 2,600 staff in over 60 countries. The funding shortfall means we are looking to regroup to an organization of around 2,100 staff in fewer locations," Fletcher wrote in a note to staff on Thursday.

OCHA works to mobilize aid, share information, support aid efforts, and advocate for those in need during a crisis. It relies heavily on voluntary contributions.

"The US alone has been the largest humanitarian donor for decades, and the biggest contributor to OCHA's program budget," Fletcher said, noting that its annual contribution of $63 million would have accounted for 20% of OCHA's extrabudgetary resources in 2025.

Since returning to office in January for a second term, US President Donald Trump's administration has slashed billions of dollars in foreign assistance in a review that aimed to ensure programs align with his "America First" foreign policy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month announced a new initiative to improve efficiency and cut costs as the world body turns 80 this year amid a cash crisis.

Fletcher said OCHA would "focus more of our resources in the countries where we work," but would work in fewer places.

"OCHA will scale back our presence and operations in Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaziantep (in Türkiye) and Zimbabwe," Fletcher said.

"As we all know, these exercises are driven by funding cuts announced by Member States and not by a reduction of needs," he said. "Humanitarian needs are on the rise and have perhaps never been higher, driven by conflicts, climate crises, disease, and the lack of respect of international humanitarian law."