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Watch: House GOP leaders hold press conference amid group chat blowback

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is seen during a press conference after a closed-door House Republican conference meeting on March 11, 2025.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his GOP leadership team held a press conference Tuesday morning, as the Trump administration faced a chorus of criticism over a war plans group chat that accidentally included a prominent journalist.

Johnson spoke to reporters alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain (Mich.) and Rep. Pat Harrigan (N.C.).

Johnson addressed the group chat controversy on Monday, after The Atlantic published a story by its top editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, under the headline “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.”

Johnson defended national security adviser Mike Waltz, who apparently invited Goldberg into the Signal group, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who allegedly shared secret war plans with the group.

The press conference began at 10 a.m. EDT

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