Trump Fires Waltz Over TM SGNL Scandal

Photographs from a recent White House cabinet meeting revealed that Mike Waltz and other officials were using TM SGNL, a modified Signal app developed by TeleMessage that archives messages but may compromise end-to-end encryption. This discovery followed Waltz's accidental inclusion of a journalist in a sensitive group chat discussing U.S. military operations, triggering the 'SignalGate' scandal. The White House defended the use of standard Signal for government purposes but did not clarify its stance on the less secure TM SGNL variant, which is meant to help meet federal records retention laws. President Donald Trump subsequently dismissed Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio named interim national security adviser. Waltz's nomination is expected to face Senate scrutiny due to his mishandling of classified information and the ongoing debate over secure communication protocols. The incident has intensified concerns about balancing national security, transparency, and compliance with federal law in government communications.