Ted Cruz Distances Himself From Trump Admin's Defense of War Texts Leak: 'This Was Obviously a Mess'

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) acknowledged that the Trump administration's accidental inclusion of a journalist in a group chat discussing military strikes was a serious mistake but stopped short of supporting calls for an investigation.

Speaking to ABC News, Cruz stated that the episode "was obviously a mess, to add a reporter to this Signal chain. And I feel confident it's not something that will happen again." However, he dismissed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) call for an inquiry, calling it a "political attack."

The controversy began when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, reported that he had been mistakenly added to a Signal group chat involving top U.S. security officials. The chat, named "Houthi PC small group," included Vice President JD Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Goldberg wrote that on March 15, Hegseth sent messages detailing upcoming U.S. airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. Hours later, the strikes were carried out. The National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the messages to The Atlantic and announced a review into how Goldberg's number had been added.

While Cruz called the situation an "embarrassing mess," he also defended the Trump administration's handling of the incident, contrasting it with how past Democratic administrations dealt with security issues:

"I will say there's a big difference in that immediately, the Trump White House took responsibility. They said: 'This was genuine, this was the real exchange"

Hegseth, however, has taken a different stance, denying the allegations despite the White House's acknowledgment of the leaked messages. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed Goldberg's reporting, stating, "Nobody was texting war plans." He also accused Goldberg of being a "professional hoax peddler."