Signal still not approved for classified information
By: Cybele Mayes-Osterman
and Tom Vandn Brook
USA Today
..... After messages from Mike Waltz's leaked chat on the Signal app went public months ago, he was ousted as President Donald Trump's national security adviser.
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Now he's up for a new position as ambassador to the United Nations.
..... As he faced tough questions from senators at a July 15 [2025] confirmation hearing, Waltz defended his use of the app, saying it was explicitly recommended for government use.
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So, is it OK for top officials to send messages on the app or not?
..... Signal was green lit for government use by the Biden administration; however, it is not an approved channel for classified information, which include defense officials say would include some of the messages sent on a Signal chat Waltz cerated and inadvertently shared with a journalist at the Atlantic.
..... Waltz accidentally added journalist Jeffery Goldberg to a Signal chat in which Trump's top national security officials were discussing plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen. On March 15, [2025] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent the chat details of the strikes shortly before the operation, including mention of the weapons sued and strike and launch times. A detailed accounting of the error was revealed in The Atlantic in an article by Goldberg that set off a firestorm in Washington.
..... At the July 15 [2025] hearing to consider his nomination, Waltz defended his use of Signal, saying amid a heated exchange with Senator Chris Coons, D-Delaware, that what he did was firmly within the bounds of department recommendations.
..... The use of Signal is not only authorized, it was recommended" in guidance released by the Biden administration, Waltz said.
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Waltz then read from a guidance sheet from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency from December 2024 that recommended senior government officials who are "highly targeted" by spies and cyberattacks, "use only end-to-end encrypted communications ... such as Signal or similar apps."
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Signal had been approved during the Biden administration to coordinate meetings and other daily activities, according to a former senior administration official who spoke on conditions of anonymity. The official, who was involved in regular classified briefings, said signal was not to be used for substantive discussions. Classified information was restricted to secure government communication channels.
..... Waltz's statement on July 15 [2025] did not explore any of his nuance.
..... The Pentagon inspector general is still reviewing Hegseth's participation in the Signal chat in which he discussed air strikes before pilots had launched them. Several current and former Defense department officials have told USA Today hat such information, disclosing future military operations, is almost certainly classified.
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Waltz, on July 15, [2025] denied to the Senate committee at his confirmation hearing that anything classified was shared on the chat.
..... "We both know Signal is not a secure way to convey classified information, and I was hoping to hear from you that you had some sense of regret," Coons said.
..... "There was classified information on that chat," Waltz said.