A Venmo account under the name “Michael Waltz,” carrying a profile photo of the national security adviser and connected to accounts bearing the names of people closely associated with him, was left open to the public until Wednesday afternoon. When Wired inquired about the account with this information, Wired wrote that it was made private.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ Venmo account was also left open.
A WIRED analysis shows that the account revealed the names of hundreds of Waltz’s personal and professional associates, including journalists, military officers, lobbyists, and others—information a foreign intelligence service, an unsavory domestic activist, or other actors could exploit for any number of ends.
Among the accounts exposed are ones that appear to belong to Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, and Walker Barrett, a staffer on the United States National Security Council. Both were fellow participants in the Signal group chat called “Houthi PC small group.”
This could explain how a Michael Waltz invited activist “journalist” Jeffrey Goldberg to the Signal Chat.
I don’t know anything about Venmo, but AI says it includes anyone on a person’s contact list who is also on Venmo. They can be changed, but it might explain how Goldberg got “invited” to the chat. Perhaps someone could have contacted him via the Michael Waltz Venmo account.
One caveat. I have helped politicians. It’s not unusual for them to have lists of all kinds of people, including journalists.
Another question: Did Michael Waltz leave it open, or did someone hack it?
His account included CNN anchors, myriad journalists, and lobbyists. His list included military officers and other national security figures.
It’s not a good situation for Michael Waltz as National Security Advisor. The only hope is if he was hacked.
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