Scoop: Jeffries rips "unqualified" Waltz over Gmail report
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 27. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) came out swinging Tuesday against Mike Waltz over a report the White House national security adviser used Gmail to discuss highly sensitive matters.
Why it matters: Jeffries' comments, made exclusively to Axios, echo the scorn he has heaped on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Jeffries has called for Hegseth to be ousted in response to revelations that he, Waltz and other top Trump officials used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss strikes against Houthi rebels.
- The White House has dug in and resisted pushing out any of the officials involved in the scandal, which has become known as Signalgate.
What he's saying: "Mike Waltz is totally and completely unqualified to be in a sensitive national security position, as is the case with the Trump national security team," Jeffries told Axios in a brief interview at the Capitol.
- The House Democratic leader also reiterated that Hegseth "has got to go — he needs to be fired if he doesn't resign immediately."
- Asked if Waltz, his former House colleagues, should also be fired or resign, Jeffries said his statement "speaks for itself."
State of play: While Signalgate appeared to be headed for the back burner this week, it roared back with a fury Tuesday when the Washington Post reported that Waltz has used Gmail to conduct government business.
- The Post reported that a senior Waltz aide used the email service for "highly technical conversations" involving "sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict."
- The outlet also reported that Waltz himself "has had less sensitive, but potentially exploitable information sent to his Gmail, such as his schedule and other work documents."
- Waltz has hosted additional Signal discussions regarding Somalia and the war in Ukraine, according to the Post.
The other side: National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told the Post he has seen no evidence of Waltz using his Gmail as the outlet's sources described.
- He told the Post that Waltz "didn't and wouldn't send classified information on an open account" and said Signal "is approved and in some cases is added automatically to government devices."
Hughes said in a statement to Axios: "This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump's successful national security agenda that's protecting our nation."
- He said Waltz "received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email" and cc'd his official email "to ensure compliance with records retention."
What to watch: Democrats could use the Washington Post story to try to refocus attention on Signalgate just as public interest appears to be waning.
- "Today's reporting makes clear that the Signal chat debacle was not, as the Trump Administration claimed, one embarrassing mistake," House Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said in a statement to Axios.
- "In actuality, it's emblematic of the gross hypocrisy and incompetence of an Administration which has consistently dodged accountability for breaking the rules."
