Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Mike Waltz’s senate confirmation hearing for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations role will not be taken lightly.
Waltz, who was moved from his original post as national security advisor, will have to answer to Pentagon leaks and address his continued use of Signal, an unsecure online messaging platform where he and President Trump’s top defense officials exchanged sensitive information.
“This is going to be a really, really in-depth look at Signal gate. It’s going to give us an opportunity to really investigate that issue,” Smith, a ranking member on the House Armed Forces Committee, said during a Thursday appearance on News Nation’s “The Hill.”
“It’s going to be tough on Mike Waltz, it’s going to be tough on Pete Hegseth. But let’s not forget, it’s going to be tough on Donald Trump as well. Donald Trump picked these people,” Smith told anchor Blake Burman.
Former national security officials have continuously critiqued Waltz and Hegseth for not handling classified information with care. Reports allege that the two often conversed on Signal while in the U.S. and abroad, leaving secret information liable to be intercepted by foreign enemies.
Smith said their repeated mistakes are a sign of inexperience.
“This is why it matters to pick someone with experience. A lot of people, including me, said Pete Hegseth was not qualified to be Secretary of Defense. Personally, I don’t think that was debatable. He just, he didn’t have any experience whatsoever,” Smith told Burman.
Trump has previously said he chose both Waltz and Hegseth to create a new wave of leadership at the Pentagon, however, his decision has cost him public scrutiny from lawmakers and constituents alike.
“He didn’t know what he’s doing. He’s made a ton of mistakes,” Smith said of Hegseth.
