The Pentagon opens an investigation into the Secretary of Defense over the Signal chat scandal.

WashingtonThe first dismissals have occurred following the leak of the Signal chat, where detailed information about plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 was shared, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is not among those dismissed. This Thursday, US media reported several dismissals within the National Security Council after far-right activist Laura Loomer met with Donald Trump yesterday to ask Waltz's boss and other members to be removed. of the team for Signalgate. Waltz has evaded responsibility and dismissed lower-level employees. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also opened an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the case.

The Pentagon's acting inspector general has launched an investigation into Hegseth's use of Signal chat to discuss plans for attacks against the Houthis. Despite the fact that it was Waltz who mistakenly included the journalist from The Atlantic In the group, it was Hegseth who sent the details with the times of the attacks and fighter jets that would be used. The case adds to a series of less publicized errors by Hegseth, but which had already raised some eyebrows among Pentagon officials. Some have begun to express doubts about his leadership.

Loomer, who is in the same camp as Steve Bannon and the rest of the old MAGA guard, met with Trump on Wednesday at the White House, according to the New York TimesThe far-right conspiracy theorist, known for calling the 9/11 attacks "an inside job," was furious with the president over the news that Waltz had used a commercial platform—easily hacked—to share critical information. It's notable that the firings came now, after the meeting with Loomer, and not in the wake of internal complaints from administration and Pentagon officials who felt Waltz should resign.

Until now, the president has closed ranks with the National Security Advisor and had publicly ruled out any consequences of this kind from the Signal chat leak. Trump and the rest of his cabinet have been playing down the matter and have repeatedly denied that revealing details like the model of fighter jets used and the time of the bombings constituted disclosure of classified information.

At least three people have been fired, according to CNN, while insiders tell Axios that the National Security Council is becoming a "bloodbath." The three dismissed employees, according to CNN, are: Brian Walsh, director of intelligence and former senior advisor on the Senate Intelligence Committee for current Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Thomas Boodry, senior director of legislative affairs, who previously served as Waltz's legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, senior director in charge of technology and national security, who worked at the State Department during the first Trump administration.

Just as the Signal chat scandal seemed to be buried, this Tuesday The Washington Post published that Waltz had also used his personal Gmail accounts to handle government matters, such as agendas and work documents. Information that could also be compromised by foreign intelligence services. Shortly after, Political published that Waltz had at least twenty other Signal chats to coordinate government tasks related to Ukraine, China, and Gaza.

Beyond the internal fissures, the fact that the far-right activist had direct access to Trump reflects a shift in the balance of power within the president's inner circle. Until now, Loomer had been ostracized to the detriment of the rise of Elon Musk and the tech billionaires in the new Republican administration. Today's episode coincides precisely with the apparent decline in Musk's influence after the defeat in the Wisconsin elections and the leak of Trump telling cabinet members that The billionaire will soon leave the White House.