Democrats Sharpen Knives Ahead of Mike Waltz Confirmation Hearing

Senate Democrats are getting ready to grill former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz when he meets them for a hearing regarding his nomination to be the next ambassador to the UN.

Unlike his previous job, Waltz needs to clear the hurdle to be appointed to the post. President Donald Trump nominated him on Thursday after ousting him, a move different outlets reported took place after the president soured on him.

Democrats are already conveying their eagerness to face Waltz at the hearing, which has not been scheduled yet. Most members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee signed a letter in late March a letter demanding that Trump provide answers about Signalgate, the incident in which Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a chat where highly sensitive information regarding an upcoming attack on Yemen's Houthi rebels was discussed.

"It does not take much imagination to consider the likely ramifications if this information had been made public prior to the strike – or worse, if it had been shared with or visible to an adversary rather than a reporter who seems to have a better grasp of how to handle classified information than your National Security Advisor," the senators added in reference to Waltz. This is an astonishingly cavalier approach to national security," they added.

Among those who signed the letters are Tim Kaine, Cory Booker, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Tammy Duckworth and Chris Van Hollen, six of the ten party members in the body.

Now, Democrats are renewing the sharpening of their knives. "I look forward to a thorough confirmation hearing," said Senator Chris Coons in response to a post showing Waltz checking Signal during a recent Trump cabinet meeting.

"I think there's obvious questions about the treatment of classified or sensitive information, use of Signal, how the whole episode of Signal unfolded," Coons said in an interview on Thursday. However, he clarified that he also wants to "talk about United Nations, how he understands our security, because I think a lot of the moves by the Trump administration have made our nation less secure, not more secure."

Sen. Tim Kaine, on his end, told The Washington Post Waltz "should be prepared to answer pointed questions." Sen. Shaheen added that the development is "further proof of the chaos and incompetence that has reigned" over the Trump administration.