Senior Trump officials still use Signal app despite embarrassing leak last year: report

WorldPolitics
1 Jul 2026 • 1:38 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Senior Trump officials still use Signal app despite embarrassing leak last year: report

  • Senior Trump administration officials continued using the encrypted messaging app Signal, despite a previous security leak and advice from Trump to avoid the app, according to newly released records obtained by the group Democracy Forward under the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Last March, a reporter was inadvertently added to a Signal chat where high-ranking officials discussed sensitive military operations, raising concerns about records preservation.
  • The newly obtained records reveal the existence of 13 previously unreported Signal chats from the first half of 2025, some of which were used by senior officials after the leak, The Atlantic reported Monday.
  • These chats, with names such as “Iran/Ukraine Planning” and “State USAID,” involved officials including Rubio, Hegseth, and Vance, and were often configured for messages to auto-delete after short periods.
  • The White House defended Signal as an approved app, while the administration's handling of these messages remains a focus of ongoing litigation concerning the preservation of government records.

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