After the leaks, Trump said the attacks succeeded and made the Houthis reel.

As controversy over leaked attack plans mounts in Washington, US President Donald Trump and his officials have defended Michael Waltz over the secret chat hack, according to the American website Criptopolitan .

Trump told reporters at the White House that the strikes had successfully hit the Houthis in Yemen, and that their Iranian sponsors should soon negotiate a nuclear deal. He added, "The Houthis are on the run, and the worst of them have been killed."

According to US reports, the Donald Trump administration is facing increased scrutiny after it was revealed that a group of senior officials used the Signal app to discuss plans for airstrikes in Yemen. Trump has defended his national security advisor, and the White House has attempted to downplay the incident.

However, lawmakers from both parties expressed concern about potential security lapses. The conversation, which mistakenly included a reporter invited by Trump's National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, raised questions among many in Washington about how sensitive information is handled.

Trump spoke to NBC News on Tuesday, defending his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, who was the subject of the conversation via Signal. The president said, "Michael Waltz learned his lesson, and he's a good man."

Trump described the incident as "the only glitch in two months, and it turned out to be nothing serious." According to the president, the journalist's presence in the group chat had "absolutely no impact" on the operation in Yemen.

Reports said the conversation included Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vice President J.D. Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Some officials insisted that no classified information was shared, but critics claim that details of planning to bomb a foreign militia are often considered sensitive or secret.

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt posted on Twitter that "no 'war plans' were discussed" and that "no classified material was sent to the Signal Group."

She added that the White House Counsel's Office "has provided guidance across a number of different platforms for President Trump's senior officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible."

Democrats demand resignation of Trump officials over incident

Democrats seized on the story, saying it demonstrated negligence in handling national security. Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Tuesday that this was "yet another example of inaccurate, careless, and incompetent behavior, particularly regarding classified information."

"It's also puzzling to me that all these senior officials were on this line and no one bothered to check the identity of the other callers," Warner added.

He also said: "If this had been a military officer or an intelligence officer, and his behavior was of this nature, he would have been fired."

Vice President Vance, who was a member of the group, reportedly described the strikes as a "mistake" and said they were "a rescue for Europe," though he did not elaborate on this claim. Some observers suggest that Vance's statement indicates an internal dispute over military action in Yemen.

The incident embarrassed the Trump administration because it revealed how a major military operation was discussed on a platform not intended for highly sensitive data. Goldberg told reporters that he did not publish the exact targets or timing of what he saw, saying it could harm national security.

Republicans were divided on the issue. While many in the party supported Waltz, noting that Trump described his statement as a misstep, few publicly criticized the mishandling of the information.

"They intentionally put highly classified information on an unclassified device. I would have lost my Air Force security clearance over this, and for much less. I can guarantee you, with absolute certainty, that Russia and China are monitoring these phones , " Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, told CNN.

"It's completely inaccurate, to say the least," Rep. Nick LaLuta, a Republican from New York, told Politico.

The National Security Council said in a statement on Monday that it had learned of the "real" nature of the message chain and was "reviewing how an unintended number was added to the chain."

Senior Trump administration officials deny leaking any sensitive information.

During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and FBI Director Kash Patel came under pressure from Democrats regarding the Signal scandal. Gabbard insisted that "there was no classified information in the Signal group chat."

Ratcliffe made a similar claim, saying, "My communications... in the Signal group chat were completely permissible and legal, and did not contain classified information." He added that senior officials were allowed to use Signal, but did not address whether it was appropriate to share details about a bombing plan.

Senator Angus King asked Gabbard whether information about the timing, targets, and weapons used in the strikes in Yemen was normally classified. King said, "I find it hard to believe that the targets, timing, and weapons were not classified."

It remains unclear whether Waltz will resign or whether Trump will pressure him to leave. For now, the president has expressed his full support. The White House continues to assert that no laws were violated, describing the conversation as an unfortunate mistake but one that does not pose a threat to national security.