10
Loading video...
By Gabe Whisnant
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Top Trump administration officials are facing a new lawsuit from the nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight, following reports that they used the encrypted, auto-deleting app Signal to coordinate sensitive military operations.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and American Oversight via email on Tuesday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump administration officials are facing bipartisan criticism and calls for their resignation for allegedly discussing their military plans on Signal and accidentally including a person without the security clearance to access that information on that text chain in which they discussed plans for airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen.
Read More on Politics
Critics say the breach could have compromised the operation and posed a broader risk to U.S. national security.
Pentagon officials issued a warning about the use of Signal on March 18, just days after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was included on a group chat on the application where high-ranking officials discussed military plans, NPR reported on Tuesday.
...
What to Know
Goldberg wrote that he first received a Signal connection request from National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on March 11 and that the conversations about the strike against the Houthis—who have been launching attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea for over a year—unfolded over several days and allegedly included sensitive details about the strike.
Several members of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, were included in the chat.
The American Oversight suit accuses officials—including Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Gabbard, and others—of violating the Federal Records Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by conducting government business on a platform designed to erase communications.
The nonprofit group's lawsuit aims to recover any lost records and prevent further unauthorized use of disappearing messaging apps for official government matters.
Since President Trump returned to office, American Oversight has filed a series of lawsuits and launched multiple investigations targeting actions by his administration.
What People Are Saying
Chioma Chukwu, interim executive director of American Oversight, said in a statement: "This reported disclosure of sensitive military information in a Signal group chat that included a journalist is a five-alarm fire for government accountability and potentially a crime."
Hegseth said Monday night: "Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that."
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullins of Oklahoma on Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter: "Signal contained no classified information. For years, Hillary Clinton shared classified national security secrets from her personal email. Forget about apples to oranges, this is like comparing apples to a steak."
Goldberg on The Bulwark podcast: "As much as I enjoy national security investigative reporting, I don't need strike plans two hours before a launch. That should not be coming into my phone. I mean, I take this stuff very, very seriously and I take the responsibility not to get Americans killed very, very seriously."
What's Next
Democrats and Republicans have reacted to Goldberg's reporting, with lawmakers on both political sides calling for an investigation into how the leak happened. At the White House, Trump said he asked national security adviser Mike Waltz to look into potential security issues with Signal.
Update: 3/25/25, 7:24 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines