WASHINGTON

Former US National Security Adviser (NSA) Mike Waltz, during his confirmation hearing for UN ambassador, defended on Tuesday the use of Signal in a group chat that included sensitive military discussions in March.

Waltz, who served briefly as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he faced questions about his involvement in “Signalgate,” the controversy surrounding a group chat in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and officials discussed plans for an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen hours before it took place March 15, while inadvertently including Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.

Sen. Chris Coons asked, "Were you investigated for this disclosure of sensitive operational information on signal?"

Waltz said the use of a Signal chat was driven by recommendations stemming from Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidance that existed during the former Biden administration.

Waltz said there was "no classified information" exchanged.

The White House conducted an investigation, Waltz said, adding the Pentagon is still conducting an investigation.

When asked whether any disciplinary action was taken by the White House investigation center, Waltz said: "No. The use of Signal was not only authorized, it's still authorized, and highly recommended."

Coons asked whether Waltz would recommend Signal for classified information.

"Again, we followed the recommendation ... but there was no classified information shared," Waltz replied.

Coons said that although at the time Waltz took responsibility for inadvertently adding the journalist to the chat, it appears the administration has not taken any action to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

The “Signalgate” incident raised questions about the administration's handling of classified military information after sensitive details about weapons packages, targets and timing were shared on the unsecured platform.

"I was hoping to hear you had some sense of regret over sharing what was very sensitive, timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app," Coons said.

"Again, senator, I think where we have a fundamental disagreement is there was no classified information on that chat," Waltz said.

- Adding journalist to Signal chat 'amateurish'

Sen. Tim Kaine said Signal has not been approved for use by US government officials to share classified information.

"Is that correct?" Kaine asked.

"That is correct, senator," Waltz replied.

Kaine said Waltz's including Goldberg on the chat was "amateurish."

Kaine referenced ongoing investigations into whether Hegseth disclosed classified information, while Waltz declined to comment on the probes but reiterated Hegseth’s earlier testimony that "no names, targets, or sensitive details" were shared in the Signal chat.

In May, Trump removed Waltz from his post as national security adviser, and announced he would nominate him for UN ambassador.

Sen. Jacky Rosen said it was reported, despite being removed from his role as national security adviser in May, Waltz has been on the White House payroll for the last few months.

"Can you confirm for us whether you've been receiving a salary from the White House since being let go as the NSA?" Rosen asked.

"I was not fired. The president never said that, nor did the vice president," Waltz said.

Rosen said it has been publicly reported that Waltz has been receiving almost $200,000 of taxpayer money since he was dismissed.

Waltz said the reporting was "fake news, which shouldn't surprise anyone."

Sen. Cory Booker said he has "no questions" for Waltz, and expressed his "deep disappointment in what I consider a failure of leadership on your part," adding he would not support Waltz's nomination.