Watch: Mike Waltz faces grilling over Signal chat at Senate hearing for UN ambassador role

By FARNOUSH AMIRI UNITED NATIONS AP Mike Waltz President Donald Trump s nominee for U S ambassador to the United Nations is facing questioning Tuesday from lawmakers for the first time since he was ousted as national precaution adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans The Republican former Florida congressman appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay including the withdrawal of the previous nominee The hearing is providing senators with the first opportunity to grill Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high-level national guard agents Hegseth shared the same information in another Signal chat that included family but Trump has made clear Hegseth has his backing Waltz was removed as national safeguard adviser in May replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and nominated for the U N role Trump praised Waltz in the announcement saying From his time in uniform on the battlefield in Congress and as my National Protection Advisor Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation s Interests first United Nations is facing major changes If ratified Waltz would arrive at the U N at a moment of great change The world body is reeling from Trump s decision to slash foreign assistance affecting its humanitarian aid agencies and it anticipates U S funding cuts to the U N annual budget Under an America First foreign procedures realignment the White House has asserted that various of the U N s agencies and bodies have drifted from their founding mission and act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism Related Articles Trump urged supporters to see conspiracies everywhere With Epstein that s coming back to haunt him When do big beautiful megabill changes go into effect Employees at the nation s consumer financial watchdog say it s become toothless under Trump Trump and Sen Dave McCormick squad up to promote power investments in Pennsylvania Senate confirms Trump s first judicial nominee of his second term With America being the largest United Nations donor cutting U S funding to the U N budget would greatly impair operations Facing financial instability the U N has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms The U N is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars John Bolton a former U S ambassador to the U N who was also national precaution adviser during Trump s first term was critical of the current state of the U N It s seemingly in the worst shape it s been in since it was founded Bolton now an outspoken Trump critic in the last few days recounted The Associated Press Waltz has been meeting with senators Waltz spent the last several weeks meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs committee Democratic Sen Tammy Duckworth explained Monday that she and Waltz discussed a wide range of issues including whether the Trump administration would use the U N to strengthen alliances and combat Chinese influence I urged him questions about Signalgate but I also talked to him about how we are going to sway other nations within the United Nations to our side in light of how much influence the PRC is having on other nations the Illinois senator disclosed using an acronym for the People s Republic of China Even with Democratic opposition Waltz only requirements a majority in the - Senate which Republicans control He ll be fine Mike won t have any issues commented Sen Markwayne Mullin R-Okla I mean the Democrats are gonna do their thing Whatever Mike s used to taking incoming fire It is unclear how Waltz would approach the job Trump s first nominee Rep Elise Stefanik had built a track record in Congress of criticizing the U N She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of U S funding She was expected to be certified but Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination in March citing risks to the GOP s historically slim House majority At the time the loss of a mere handful of seats could have swung the House majority to Democrats and derailed their lately triumphant efforts to enact Trump s sweeping agenda Waltz is still on the White House payroll Waltz whose Florida House seat was filled during a special referendum earlier this year has spent the last sparse months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national safeguard adviser The latest list of White House salaries current as of July includes Waltz earning an annual salary of A White House official granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters disclosed Waltz stayed on to ensure a smooth and profitable transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA Waltz was the first Green Beret elected to the House and easily won reelection for a fourth term in November before Trump urged him to join the administration Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this document