Mike Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, NSC confirms

The National Security Council (NSC) has provided clarification on reports about National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and his staffers using personal Gmail accounts for government communications.

A report published by the Washington Post claimed that one of Waltz’s senior aides used Gmail “for highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict.” The Post reported that while the NSC official used his Gmail account, his interagency colleagues used government-issued accounts, as indicated by headers from the email correspondence.

This report comes on the heels of Waltz taking responsibility for one of his staffers accidentally adding The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a sensitive Signal chat with other officials, including Vice President JD Vance.

NSC spokesperson Brian Hughes told Fox News that the Post report was an attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda. Hughes emphasized that Waltz has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform. He mentioned that Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention.

Regarding the report about the senior NSC official, Hughes stated that he could not verify it as the journalist refused to share any part of the document reported. He reiterated that any correspondence containing classified material must only be sent through secure channels, and all NSC staff are informed of this. NSC personnel are also made aware that any non-government correspondence must be captured and retained for record compliance.

President Trump, speaking to reporters last week, expressed support for Waltz, stating that he believes Waltz is “doing his best” and should not apologize for the Signal leak incident. Trump acknowledged that it was a technology issue and that Waltz likely would not be using it again in the near future.

In conclusion, the NSC has addressed concerns about the use of personal Gmail accounts for government communications, emphasizing the importance of following secure channels for classified information. President Trump has voiced his support for Waltz amidst the controversy, highlighting the need for improved technology in government communications.