On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he did not believe anyone should lose their job in response to a controversy regarding a journalist “inadvertently added” to a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. While some Democrats have called for resignations, Johnson emphasized how the White House said no “war plans” were discussed in the conversation, which was how Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg characterized the Signal thread to which he was included. Johnson also pointed out the White House denied that classified materials were sent to the thread and is looking into how the number was “inadvertently added” to the chat. “Obviously that was a mistake and a serious one, but I just want to say: thanks to President Trump and his strong leadership and … everybody on that group chat — the leaders on that group chat — are extraordinary people,” Johnson said during a House GOP leadership press conference on Capitol Hill. “I know them all personally. They’re patriots, they’re doing a great job for the country, and that was a successful mission,” the speaker added. “I mean, we’re taking out Houthi terrorists. That’s what the American people expect the administration to do — to restore peace through strength and to act decisively.” The Signal thread had a number of top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Johnson, a Trump ally, dismissed the notion that he would have responded more harshly if such a breach had happened to the previous administration under former President Joe Biden. “Look, they’ve acknowledged that there was an error, and they’re correcting it, and I would have asked the same thing of the Biden administration,” Johnson said. “I don’t think anyone should have lost their job over that — because an errant number, you know, found its way onto a dialogue between leaders. It’s a mistake, but we got to correct it going forward and they will.” Johnson declined to get into whether he believed the use of Signal to discuss national security matters was appropriate. “I don’t use Signal. … I don’t know all the parameters of it, so it’s not my — I’m not in a position to determine whether that’s appropriate or not,” Johnson explained. “You have to leave that to others but I would just say obviously we got to be careful with these things and I know that they will.” Trump told NBC News that one of Waltz’s staffers put Goldberg in the Signal chat. Yet he defended his national security adviser, saying, “Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.” Johnson also vouched for Waltz and noted that they were former colleagues in the House. He also said Waltz “was born for the job. He is highly qualified” and stressed that “the president said he has total confidence in him, and we do as well.” .@SpeakerJohnson on Signal group chat: "They've acknowledged that it was an error and they're correcting it…I don't think anyone should have lost their job over that." pic.twitter.com/afOPw8XPTr — CSPAN (@cspan) March 25, 2025