Mike Waltz Left More Sensitive Information Out In The Open As He Remains In The Eye Of The Storm Over Signalgate

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National Security Adviser Mike Waltz left his Venmo friends list public, according to a new analysis, potentially exposing the names and contact information of hundreds of personal and professional contacts.

The revelation comes as Waltz continues to be in the eye of the storm over his inadvertent addition of The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the group chat discussing attacks against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Wired reported that an account that carried a profile photo of the national security adviser was linked to other accounts bearing the names of individuals closely associated with him.

Security experts consulted by the outlet warned about the chance that this kind of information could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies, as foreign adversaries often exploit indirect connections rather than targeting senior officials directly.

Among the linked accounts were those appearing to belong to Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, and Walker Barrett, a staffer on the National Security Council. Both were also members of the "Houthi PC small group" Signal chat.

Waltz said he took "full responsibility" for the group chat mishap, especially the inclusion of Goldberg, but a review of other public Venmo data tied to senior administration officials suggests that the Signal chat was not an isolated event.

The Venmo account under Waltz's name had a 328-person friend list, including accounts appearing to belong to former staff and advisers, as well as journalists, political figures, and defense industry executives. One notable connection was an account appearing to belong to Wiles, whose own Venmo friend list included figures such as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and former White House communications director Hope Hicks.

Both Waltz and Wiles changed their privacy settings after Wired's inquiry, making their friend lists private.

German outlet DER SPIEGEL also reported that phone numbers linked to Waltz's Signal account, along with personal data from other top Trump officials, have been found online. The outlet used commercial data search engines and leaked hacker databases to uncover phone numbers, emails and even passwords of several high-ranking U.S. officials.

Among those affected are Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whose phone number connected to her Signal account was also allegedly found online, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.