Signal use in government far more widespread than previously thought: Report

We're hearing more details about widespread use of the Signal app among White House officials

both in the Trump and Biden administrations. News coming out Wednesday, Trump's national

security advisor, Mike Waltz's team, used the Signal app to communicate on issues ranging from

Ukraine, China, Gaza, Africa, and Europe. That's according to four people who told Politico

they were personally added to these chats. Two of the sources say they know of at least 20 instances

of Signal group chats used to discuss global issues. The report reveals a more widespread use of the app

than previously known. Officials, however, say Signal is permitted on government devices

They also note cabinet members within both the Biden and Trump administration have used the app

As Straight Arrow News recently reported, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

told Congress, government officials are urged to use encrypted apps like Signal for communication

when meeting in person isn't possible. She also says Signal is pre-installed on government devices

Officials have repeatedly warned the app is not to be used to share classified information

citing national security concerns. The government also notes that automatically deleting chats

a function of the Signal app, violates federal law. A National Security Council spokesperson

says any accusation the app was used to discuss classified information is 100 untrue All of the four government sources also tell Politico they are unaware of any classified information shared on the app Waltz use of Signal to discuss work with the

NSC first came under criticism after the Atlantic's editor-in-chief was accidentally added to a group

chat revealing military strikes in Yemen. Since the report on the leak emerged, Waltz and his staff

are also facing criticism for using personal Gmail accounts for government communication

as reported by The Washington Post. The White House says Waltz and his staff used Gmail within

federal rules and never shared any classified information over the platform either. During

former President Barack Obama's presidency, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced criticism for using her personal email account for some government communications

The FBI began investigating Clinton's emails in 2015, and then-FBI Director James Comey did not recommend charges, but famously described Clinton as extremely careless

According to a State Department report over Clinton's emails from 2019, the presence of classified information carried an increased risk of compromise

Both controversies have raised concerns among Democrats and Republicans on government officials communicating on unsecured platforms

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