A Venmo account belonging to White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had its friend list publicly visible until Wednesday, exposing connections to hundreds of high-profile contacts including administration officials, journalists, and military personnel.
The account, which displayed Waltz's photo and name, contained a friend list of 328 people before being made private following media inquiries. Notable connections included White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and National Security Council staffer Walker Barrett.
This revelation comes just days after Waltz admitted responsibility for accidentally adding a journalist to a sensitive Signal group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen. The Venmo oversight has raised additional concerns about digital security practices among senior administration officials.
The exposed friend list revealed connections to prominent media figures like Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Brian Kilmeade, as well as CNN personalities Brianna Keilar and Kristen Holmes. Political figures including Representative Dan Crenshaw and various defense industry executives were also visible.
Security experts warn that publicly visible social connections could be exploited by foreign intelligence services to map relationships and identify potential vulnerabilities around high-ranking officials.
After being contacted about the public friend list, both Waltz's and Wiles's Venmo accounts adjusted their privacy settings to hide their connections. The White House has declined to comment on the matter.
This incident follows similar cases of senior officials leaving digital footprints exposed, including Vice President JD Vance's public Venmo account last year. While no transactions were visible on Waltz's account, the friend list remained accessible because the privacy setting to hide connections had not been activated.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Trump maintains "full confidence" in his national security team, including Waltz, despite the recent security lapses.