DELAND, Fla. (AP) — As Washington was roiled by the news that one of President Donald Trump’s top aides added a journalist to a group chat discussing military…
As Washington was roiled by the news that one of President Donald Trump’s top aides added a journalist to a group chat discussing military plans, many Republicans going to the polls to replace that White House aide’s old U.S. House seat have brushed off the story.
Early voting is underway in Florida to replace Mike Waltz, who is now Trump’s national security adviser.
“I think it was a faux pas, and it was a mistake that somebody made,” said Gary Caples, a Republican voter in DeLand, Florida. “Nobody’s perfect.”
State senator Randy Fine, who received Trump’s endorsement to succeed Waltz, told the Associated Press that he was too busy to read The Atlantic’s story on how a journalist was texted plans for military strikes in Yemen.
“It’s hard enough to run for office and be in the Senate. So that’s my focus right now,” Fine said.
The muted Republican reaction both in Florida and among many lawmakers nationally reflects how incidents that may have once sparked bipartisan outrage are only dismissed as hiccups as Trump stands firm backed by his allies and supporters. Indeed, Trump dug in at the White House, attacking The Atlantic and its top editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who was added to the group chat, and insisting that none of his aides should apologize.
Waltz, according to The Atlantic, appeared to have mistakenly added Goldberg to a chat that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for a strike in Yemen.
