Mike Waltz Fields questions at the Senate Confirmation Hearing for the UN ambassador

Washington – Mike Waltz, former National Security Advisor of President Trump, testified on Tuesday at his Senate confirmation hearing as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, where he sent questions about the foreign policy of the administration and its plans for the role if confirmed.

The hearing before the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee was the first opportunity for legislators to publicly question it on their role in a signal chat in which the senior administration officials inadvertently revealed sensitive details On a military strike in Yemen.

In the weeks after the scandal, the Democrats said they expected the audience to be “brutal” for Waltz, but the signal controversy did not arise until more than an hour at the audience, which focused mainly on the approach of the administration to China, Israel and the work of UN agencies worldwide.

The role of UN ambassador – The last of the Trump Cabinet to be confirmed – He has been vacant for six months, leaving the USA without a superior representative in an important world scenario as several international crises develop. Waltz is likely to be confirmed, given republican control of the Senate. Waltz would take the position as Mr. Trump’s frustrations increase with Russia for their refusal to end their war in Ukraine and while the United States seeks to handle tensions with China and Iran.

The audience

Republican senator Mike Lee of Utah introduced Waltz as “one of the United States ambassador nominees to the United Nations,” calling him an “experience of experienced politics” and “qualified negotiator.”

“With Waltz to the helm, the UN will have what I consider what could and should be its last chance to demonstrate its real value to the United States,” Lee said.

The Republicans used the audience to criticize the UN, accusing it of being politicized and working against the United States and its allies, despite the fact that the United States is the greatest donor. Earlier this year, Trump ordered a general review of the financing and participation of the United States in the global body.

“You have a great elevator here,” said Republican Senator James Risch from Idaho, president of the Committee.

Waltz agreed that the UN needs an “important” reform, but said there is “good and significant work to do.”

“We should have a place in the world where everyone can speak, where China, Russia, Europe, the developing world, can join and resolve conflicts,” he said. “But after 80 years, he has resulted from his main peace mission.”

But the Democrats argued that a setback would disagree with the interests of the United States because it would give China more influence.

“China is too anxious to take advantage of our UN disconnection and around the world. And even if we don’t like what some UN institutions do, if we are not at the table, we cannot influence the agenda,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the main Democrat of the committee, said.

Waltz replied that it was “absolutely critical” that the United States were on the table to counteract the growing influence of China.

The Republicans also accused the UN of being a “seedbed of anti -Semitism” and asked Waltz if he undertook to veto “unilateral antiisraelis resolutions.”

“Yes, I’ll make that commitment,” Waltz said.

Democratic Senator Chris Coans of Delaware was the first to question Waltz about the signal scandal, scolding him and the Trump administration for his management of sensitive details on a military strike. But Waltz said there was no classified information shared in the chat and defended the use of application as “not only authorized, is still authorized and highly recommended.”

Waltz told Coons that the White House had not taken disciplinary measures, while the Department of Defense is still carrying out his investigation.

“There have been no consequences and yet the president continues to denounce those who filter information,” Coons said.

New Jersey Democratic Booker Senator asked Waltz to assume the responsibility of the dissemination, telling him that he showed “deep cowardice” in how he handled the incident.

“I can’t support his nomination,” Booker said. “That is not leadership when you blame the people who tell the truth. That is not leadership when you cannot say the words, ‘I made a mistake. I could have done better. I learned valuable lessons of this experience.’ Instead, at a time when our national security was clearly compromised, you denied, diverted and then degraded and degraded the people who objectively told the truth and criticized their actions.”

The signal chat

Waltz was expelled as National Security Advisor of Mr. Trump in May, weeks after the chief editor of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed that a user with the name of Waltz had unexpectedly added to a group chat in the application of encrypted messaging. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, shared sensitive details of an upcoming military operation in the Chat, which included others such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Framework Rubio.

History bounced through Washington, with democratic legislators demanding an investigation In why highly confidential information was being discussed in a commercially available messaging application, instead of ensuring government channels.

Administration officials acknowledged that the conversation was “sensitive”, but denied that the operational details shared in the chat were classified. Waltz admitted that he created the chat, but denied knowing how Goldberg’s contact information entered his phone.

Sources previously said The news of News that Waltz’s nomination for the position of Ambassador, a high profile position in New York, was a last minute decision of the president, and that the signal controversy was one of the factors that led to his departure from the National Security Council.

On Tuesday, Waltz denied having been fired from the national security role and said they kept him in the White House as an advisor.

Trump appointed Waltz as his national security advisor, a position that does not require confirmation of the Senate, days after Florida’s Republican was re -elected to a fourth term in Congress. The selection cut the close majority of Republicans in the Chamber and President Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, begged Mr. Trump not to shine the members of the administration.

The majority of the thin majority stopped Trump’s first option for the UN ambassador, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik New York. By nominating Waltz, Trump said he had asked Stefanik to remain in Congress, where he could help advance his legislative agenda.

• Mike Waltz
• United Nations
• Trump administration