US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has received emails through his personal email account but has never utilized that account to send classified information, according to the White House.
This follows a report from The Washington Post indicating that Mr. Waltz and other members of the National Security Council have been using Gmail for government-related activities.
The Post highlighted that Mr. Waltz and his colleagues at the NSC had been using the commercial email service owned by Alphabet to carry out government business.
This revelation came a week after the Trump administration faced bipartisan criticism for its security practices linked to the use of the Signal messaging app for coordinating military operations in Yemen.
According to the Post, Mr. Waltz had less sensitive information, albeit still vulnerable, sent to his personal email, including his schedule and work documents.
NSC Spokesman Brian Hughes, when questioned about the report, stated: “NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email.”
“He has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform,” Mr. Hughes added yesterday.
He further noted that Mr. Waltz ensured compliance with federal records laws by copying government email accounts on items received after US President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20.
According to Mr. Hughes, all NSC staff are made aware that “classified material must only be sent through secure channels” and that “any non-government correspondence must be captured and retained for record compliance.”
Mr. Waltz, along with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others, has been under intense scrutiny since last month when it was disclosed they used Signal—an encrypted commercial messaging app with expiring messages—to coordinate and share highly sensitive plans regarding a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, instead of utilizing secure government communication methods.
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Critics have contended that this action constituted a breach of US national security and could potentially violate legal requirements.
The discussions among administration officials were unintentionally exposed when a reporter from The Atlantic magazine was mistakenly added to the Signal chat.
Former administration members, including Mr. Waltz and Mr. Hegseth, have previously criticized former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State under the Obama administration.
On Monday, the White House expressed that Mr. Trump continues to have confidence in Mr. Waltz and considers the Signal matter resolved.
Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt chose not to elaborate on the administration’s review of the Signal incident but assured reporters that measures have been implemented to prevent future occurrences.
Bipartisan senators have called for a formal investigation.
US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Mr. Waltz in the wake of recent Gmail revelations.
“Mike Waltz is completely unqualified to hold a sensitive national security position, as is the case with the entire Trump national security team,” Mr. Jeffries stated in an interview with Axios yesterday.
