Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and senior personnel official Sergio Gor reportedly urged President Donald Trump to dismiss National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

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The pressure followed a controversy sparked by Waltz’s inclusion of a journalist in a private Signal chat discussing military plans, an act that drew sharp criticism from both sides of the political aisle, according to Politico.

Also read: 'I built the group': Mike Waltz takes 'full responsibility' for making text group that leaked classified information

Two individuals familiar with the matter told the outlet that Trump accepted Waltz had made a serious error, describing the situation as “embarrassing.” However, he was reluctant to sack him, reportedly saying he didn’t want to hand a victory to his critics. “They don’t want to give the press a scalp,” one White House insider said.

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Still, the sources said that Waltz’s future in the role might be limited. One suggested, “They’ll stick by him for now, but he’ll be gone in a couple weeks.”

A spokesperson for Waltz pushed back strongly on the Politico report, saying, “The chattering of unnamed sources should be treated with the scepticism of gossip from people lacking the integrity to attach their names.”

Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, also stood by Waltz, “Mike Waltz serves at the pleasure of President Trump, and the president has voiced his support for Mike. The entire National Security leadership team has led a successful and effective counter-terrorism mission, and that is what media and Democrats are trying to obscure.”

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Also read: Trump downplays US war plan leak as 'unserious glitch,' defends advisor: 'Waltz learned a lesson'

The controversy stems from a recent article by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, who revealed that Waltz had added him to a group chat where military discussions about potential strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen were taking place.

In the fallout, the administration gave mixed messages. Waltz insisted that a staff member hadn’t added Goldberg to the chat, while Trump suggested otherwise, saying it was likely a staffer’s fault.

Waltz also denied having a personal connection to Goldberg, though reports say the two had met years ago.

Also read: ‘You failed to keep it safe’: JD Vance blasts Denmark during first US vice-presidential visit to Greenland

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had contributed information on the proposed strikes to the group chat, maintained that “nobody was texting war plans,” even after the White House confirmed the authenticity of the chat messages.

(With inputs from agencies)