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CNN's Kaitlan Collins played video Thursday that may have helped predict National Security Adviser Mike Waltz's downfall from the Trump administration.
It was recorded earlier this week, showing Waltz arriving at Andrews Air Force Base via Marine One, then moving to the side of the plane as Trump adviser Stephen Miller is seen bounding up the stairs to Air Force One.
"There was a moment that CNN saw on Tuesday when the president was going to Michigan on his 100 days in office, and Mike Waltz, we noticed, traveled on Marine One with him. But 10 minutes later, you see it. Joint Base Andrews, that's his figure. He does not get on Air Force One. It's only about a 10-minute flight, so it's extremely odd to to take the helicopter flight and then not actually go on the trip."
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Collins said she was told that Waltz wasn't supposed to fly to Michigan, but she was skeptical because she learned that Waltz "was told...earlier this week that his time as the National Security adviser had come to an end, and it was time for him to leave. And now we are told that he will be departing and so will his top deputy."
CNN's Jeff Zeleny remarked, "That video is so fascinating — what it doesn't show — the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is on the plane and he flew to Michigan with the president. And, I'm told, the president throughout the day embraced the Defense secretary. Yesterday at the Cabinet meeting, it was so clear he — so when you sort of step back at this, why Waltz and not Hegseth? Because, as Kaitlan says, he invited Jeffrey Goldberg into the chat, and that was sort of seen as the original sin."
News broke Thursday that Waltz and his deputy would be leaving the White House. Although no reason was given, Waltz was pegged for setting up the Signal app chat that inadvertently included a journalist along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss airstrikes on Yemen.
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