Waltz was seen as more closely aligned with Netanyahu than with Trump
Waltz’s troubles built up over time, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles increasingly felt he was not a good fit for the president, according to a senior White House official, a Trump adviser and one additional person familiar with the matter on Friday. They and others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel considerations.
In announcing the shift, Trump on Thursday vowed in a social media post that “together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN.”
But Waltz also upset Trump after an Oval Office visit in early February by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the national security adviser appeared to share the Israeli leader’s conviction that the time was ripe to strike Iran, two of the people said.
Waltz appeared to have engaged in intense coordination with Netanyahu about military options against Iran ahead of an Oval Office meeting between the Israeli leader and Trump, the two people said.
Waltz “wanted to take U.S. policy in a direction Trump wasn’t comfortable with because the U.S. hadn’t attempted a diplomatic solution,” according to one of the people.
“It got back to Trump and the president wasn’t happy with it,” that person said.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement Saturday confirming that he met with Waltz ahead of his Oval Office visit with Trump but denying that he had “intensive contact” with him.
A spokesman for Waltz did not respond to a request for comment. Wiles also did not respond to requests for comment.
“The President sets the agenda and it’s up to his Administration to implement those policies, and everyone was rowing in the same direction which is why he had the most successful First 100 days in history,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement following a Washington Post inquiry.
The view by some in the administration was that Waltz was trying to tip the scales in favor of military action and was operating hand in glove with the Israelis.
“If Jim Baker was doing a side deal with the Saudis to subvert George H.W. Bush, you’d be fired,” a Trump adviser said, referring to Bush’s secretary of state. “You can’t do that. You work for the president of your country, not a president of another country.” [Continue reading…]