Paranoia as a Work Method Part 2: The Waltz Case, or How Conspiracy Theory Lowers National Security

Maciej Lesiak

March 26, 2025 - 7 minutes read - 1378 words

Ten artykuł jest dostępny również po polsku:
Paranoja jako metoda pracy cz. 2: Przypadek Waltza, czyli jak teoria spiskowa obniża bezpieczeństwo narodowe

What's in this article

I observe with growing disbelief the evolution of the White House’s explanations regarding the Signal contacts with editor Goldberg. The latest version of events is a true masterpiece of creativity.

Michael Waltz, the National Security Advisor, generously “takes full responsibility” for the incident. But wait, here comes the most interesting part - the responsibility means that… it wasn’t his fault, but some anonymous young assistant’s! I don’t know if everyone sees how these explanations are further damaging the USA’s reputation?

Imagine this: an assistant takes the phone of one of the most important people responsible for US security, adds a “scumbag” (as they call Goldberg) to the contacts, and then makes several calls through Signal. All this apparently without the knowledge and consent of the phone’s owner. What potential for actions by real professionals and foreign intelligence services.

“I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but…”

What adds spice to the matter is that Waltz, instead of accepting responsibility for his own negligence, first suggested on Fox News that Goldberg might have deliberately “tricked” his way into the group. “You know, Laura, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but of all the people in the world, just this guy who lied about…” - he began his statement with the classic phrase that precedes a conspiracy theory.

I can’t comprehend that a person responsible for national security, instead of admitting to a mistake, immediately builds a narrative about a conspiracy against the administration. Trump deepened this paranoia by calling the incident a “glitch” and suggesting that the Signal application is vulnerable to manipulation. Anything but admitting that the fault lies with the incompetence of his own team.

The absurdity of this situation becomes even more evident when we recall that Waltz is the same man who zealously promoted the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory, claiming that the company faked Russia’s attack on the DNC in 2016 to hide alleged Ukrainian connections. The same person who signed on to the attempt to invalidate the results of the 2020 election in the Texas v. Pennsylvania case. So the conspiracy theory of stolen presidential elections.

Paranoia as a Security Policy

We are dealing with a classic case of the MAGA environment’s paranoia toward “three-letters-agencies” (FBI, CIA, NSA). On one hand, filled with fear of being wiretapped by their own intelligence agencies, they flee to Signal. On the other hand, they place an external journalist in the same group, discussing secret military operations there.

This paranoia doesn’t increase security - it drastically lowers it. In a place where cool calculation and procedures should rule, we have emotional reactions and chaotic improvisations. As a result, we have a situation where even the most confidential information, like details of the attack on the Houthis in Yemen, leaks to the media. Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, was sending information about weapons, targets, and the time of the operation in this group two hours before it began!

The obsession with hostile media (Goldberg is consistently demonized by the MAGA camp) and simultaneous negligence in basic security procedures is a symptom of a deeper problem: the Trump administration lives in a world where the threat comes from imaginary “deep state” conspiracies, not from real mistakes and negligence in their own ranks.

Reactions of Global Intelligence Services

Update based on statements from the CIA Moscow station chief.

The Signal affair has faced harsh criticism from intelligence professionals worldwide. John Sipher, a 30-year CIA veteran and former Moscow station chief, stated that this security breach “humiliates the United States before the entire world.” He emphasized that similar disregard for security protocols would result in immediate dismissal for any regular intelligence agency employee.

A particularly concerning aspect that Sipher pointed out was the fact that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, was in Moscow when he was added to the Signal group. This creates serious vulnerabilities to Russian intelligence operations. Pentagon officials noted that standard practice when visiting Russia involves using a “clean,” disposable phone. If Witkoff brought his personal device, Russian intelligence would have had multiple opportunities to compromise it and access its contents.

While Signal chats are encrypted in ways that make intercepting data transmissions difficult, intelligence experts note that Russia and China have long been working to break the encryption used in the application. This is an application used by journalists and activists, making it a natural target. The primary risk, however, lies not in the app’s security but in the possibility of hackers accessing the device itself. This would allow them to read everything, regardless of the encryption quality of individual applications.

Pattern of Conspiracy Thinking - Connecting Dots and Paranoia

We see the same pattern in Waltz’s other actions. When the origin of COVID-19 was being investigated, instead of accepting expert findings, he pushed a narrative about a Chinese conspiracy and scientists “covering up” the truth. In the case of the assassination attempt on Trump, instead of acknowledging security failures as unfortunate negligence, he suggested that the denial of increased security resources could have had political motives. He sees deliberate action by hostile forces everywhere, never simple mistakes or coincidences.

And now the same man who sees conspiracies around every corner claims that a junior staff member used his phone without his knowledge. He thus cites a complete lack of security procedures in his own office to avoid responsibility for his own mistakes. It’s hard to find a more glaring example of cognitive dissonance.

In the office of the National Security Advisor, there are apparently no procedures whatsoever regarding the handling of communication devices. A junior staff member can freely use the boss’s phone? This is not the office of a local construction company director, but the heart of the American administration dealing with security! If the slogan Make America Great Again can be parodied, then we seem to be observing a reality show where reputation is rapidly depreciating.

As Wittgenstein said: “We make up the rules as we go along”. We invent the rules during the game - a credo that perfectly fits the current White House administration. It’s just unfortunate that in this game, national security is at stake.

Who Was in the Controversial Signal Group?

The list of participants in the Signal discussion includes almost the entire cream of the Trump administration:

JD Vance - Vice President, who expressed doubts in the group whether Trump understands the consequences of the attack on Yemen
Pete Hegseth - Secretary of Defense, former Fox News presenter, who allegedly disclosed details about weapons, targets, and timing of the attack in the group
Michael Waltz - National Security Advisor, former Congressman
Stephen Miller - Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Homeland Security Advisor
Marco Rubio - Secretary of State, marked as “MAR” in the group
John Ratcliffe - CIA Director, previously known as a Trump loyalist
Tulsi Gabbard - Director of National Intelligence
Steve Witkoff - Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and the Middle East, with no diplomatic experience
Scott Bessent - Treasury Secretary
Brian McCormack - Chief of Staff of the National Security Council
Susie Wiles - White House Chief of Staff
Joe Kent - Trump’s nominee to run the National Counterterrorism Center
Jeffrey Goldberg - Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, the only journalist in the group

This type of communication between the most important figures in the administration and a journalist is a precedent that should worry anyone who understands security principles.

We can only wait until we hear that all this was part of Trump’s brilliant plan to expose “fake news” or that mysterious “deep state” forces hacked the Signal application. Because admitting to human error is apparently unthinkable in the current administration.

Sources:

FactCheck.org Person: Michael Waltz

Mike Waltz Suggests Journalist May Have Intentionally Infiltrated ‘War Plans’ Group Text

Były oficer CIA w Moskwie: USA ośmieszone przed całym światem

Photo: Public Domain Dedication, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - Congressman Michael Waltz, Florida’s 6th District Representative, poses for a picture with Soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Washington D.C., June 8, 2020. Florida National Guardsmen were in D.C. to support citizens and local law enforcement during the civil unrest protests. (US Army photo by Sgt. Leia Tascarini)

DISCLAIMER: The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.