Senior U.S. Leaders Commit an Egregious Act of Operational Security Negligence
The release of the full chat logs by The Atlantic confirms that classified information was shared between senior U.S. leaders using their personal devices. Signalgate is no hoax.
The operational security breach made by almost every senior leader of U.S. intelligence, counterintelligence, the executive branch, and the Department of Defense (DoD) is beyond egregious. White House Special Envoy to the Middle East (and officially, also Russia) Steve Witkoff was in Russia, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was in "the Asia Pacific" using Signal on personal devices.
The latest information from The Atlantic, releasing the entire chat log, shows that clear, specific, and actionable information about an impending military strike on Yemen was shared. This violates multiple guidelines and regulations, and the content is considered classified per DoD guidelines. This isn't open for debate. Additionally, the National Security Agency (NSA) and DoD issued memos in February warning against using Signal for secure government communications.
The Signal app cannot be installed on government-provided devices, full stop. There are no buts. Anyone in the chat initiated by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was using their personal devices. Witkoff may have been within the Kremlin. DNI Gabbard "can't recall" which Asia-Pacific country she was in.
Yesterday, Gabbard and CIA Director Ratcliffe lied under oath to Congress. Hegseth, Whitehouse National Security Council Director Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, and the DoD and Whitehouse spokespersons continue to call the operational security (OPSEC) breach a "hoax" and "exaggeration." This messaging has continued despite the DoD and NSC Waltz admitting it happened. On Tuesday night, sandwiched between a word salad of denials on Fox News, Waltz admitted he added Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat. President Trump called the breach a "hiccup" and vowed to stand beside Waltz.
As Goldberg with The Atlantic first wrote, the information about the strikes in Yemen included target information, timing, and the assets to be deployed. Had that information been made public, American pilots could have been killed, critical assets could have been destroyed, the attack could have been disrupted, and/or the main target could have relocated.
Today's coordinated denial campaign is Orwellian. However, Trump admin surrogates appear unsure how to respond. Messaging bots, AI, and supporters are still posting mixed messages, indicating they have not received clear talking points.
It's a hoax
Goldberg committed treason by publishing the facts
This wasn't classified information (go back to number 2)
Goldberg is a hack who spreads misinformation (why was he in Waltz’s Signal contact list if he is a discredited journalist)
Focusing on language - "war plan" vs "attack plan"
The Houthis (who are supported by Russia and Iran) cannot hack personal cellphones, so there was no real risk
Every national intelligence expert we've talked to told us the same thing: Enemies of the U.S. monitor the communications made on the personal devices of senior US officials, and they have been warned. Further, while Signal can be used on a personal device, they have all been advised not to use it to discuss government issues beyond, "hey, let them know I don't want mayo on my Jimmy John's in tomorrow's meeting."
As a matter of best practices, all senior U.S. officials and their family members are advised to use Signal as their messaging app for personal security reasons.
At the time, the discussion on whether to attack the Houthis was ongoing, Witkoff was in Moscow, and in the chat. He very well could have been in the Kremlin at the time.
U.S. intelligence experts and former diplomats explained that electronic devices such as cell phones cannot use outside networks within the Kremlin; they must be connected to the Kremlin's Internet infrastructure. Anything Witkoff saw, the Kremlin saw. This raises another critical question: Was Witkoff engaged in other Signal chat groups about ongoing "peace talks" while sitting in the Kremlin?
These types of communications should only occur in a Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF), which the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has. These rooms are isolated from outside monitoring and can only be used by specific electronic devices.
Disinformation experts warn that President Trump and his closest advisers (Miller, Musk, etc.) purposefully appointed incompetent people for his second administration. Incompetent people won't challenge his leadership or question their orders.
Interestingly, some expressed concern over the timing, reasoning, supporting facts, and the real impact the strikes will have on Red Sea navigation.
Let’s be clear, no one will be punished or fired over this. Incompetence and loyalty are rewarded in an autocratic government structure.
If the U.S. still had a functioning government, everyone in that chat would be facing dismissal and potential criminal charges. Their security clearances would have already been revoked.
No adversary of the U.S. would tolerate this kind of incompetence within their own halls. Russian leaders would be spending quality time at Lefortovo prison in the close company of the FSB and GRU attached to a car battery. Chinese leaders would just "disappear" and later become unpersons.
In our assessment, any nation that shares intelligence with the U.S. has to operate on the basis that the information is being leaked to their adversaries, accidentally or intentionally. Nothing is secure.
Every field agent working for the U.S. is likely questioning their personal security, which compromises an already badly damaged intelligence gathering structure.
This behavior won't change, and the results could be catastrophic for national security. The message to U.S. adversaries is that national security and geopolitical leaders, including the Vice President, are incompetent. Every government hacker, including some of our allies, will increase their efforts to track and monitor the personal devices of senior U.S. officials. And make no mistakes, this is not "rocket science." The tools to hack and monitor cell phones are just a few clicks away on the dark web. There isn't a nation on the planet that doesn't have this capability.
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