The US National Security Team has created at least 20 group chats in Signal to coordinate crisis situations around the world. This is reported by Politico, reports UNN.
Details
Signal chats have become an important tool for national security teams dealing with issues such as the situation in Ukraine, China, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. According to four people involved in these chats, they have become a familiar tool for operational coordination, including with senior officials, Cabinet members and other key figures.
Although Waltz himself denies using classified information through this channel, security experts are concerned about possible violations of state secrecy protection rules. They point out that the use of Signal may threaten security due to insufficient protection if chats are automatically deleted without proper archiving.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes noted that Signal is one of the permitted methods of communication for unclassified materials, but stressed that its use with caution only concerns recently discussed issues. However, the situation with the chat related to the military strikes in Yemen has caused a significant political reaction, including due to the possible publication of confidential data.
This practice has drawn additional criticism after it emerged that national security officials were using personal Gmail accounts for government communications, violating official record-keeping standards. This issue became even more important after an incident in which a journalist was accidentally included in one of these chats, sparking outrage in political circles.
Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives have already launched an investigation, trying to find out whether these chats have caused leaks of confidential information and whether their use violates laws on the security of government communications.
Let us remind you
The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg said he was accidentally added to a chat on Signal, where he witnessed discussions about future strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. This caused a resonance in the White House: an investigation was initiated, and even the dismissal of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is being considered.
White House: Signal leak case closed01.04.25, 01:12 • [views_8704]