CIA gives verdict on White House Signal chat leak
(MENAFN) CIA Director John Ratcliffe has defended the use of the Signal messaging app for government communications, stating that it is permitted as long as decisions made in such chats are also documented through official channels.
His remarks followed a report by The Atlantic, which claimed that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had accidentally added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat where top US officials discussed military operations against Houthi fighters in Yemen. The group reportedly included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Ratcliffe confirmed he was also part of the group and revealed that Signal was commonly used at the CIA—a practice that predates Trump's administration. He emphasized that while such communications are allowed, decisions must be recorded through formal government processes.
Gabbard, who was also questioned, insisted that no classified information was shared in the chat. However, Democratic Senator Mark Warner criticized the leak as an example of “sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior”, adding that if an intelligence officer had made such a mistake, they would have been fired.
Meanwhile, Politico reported that half of the White House staff believed Waltz should be removed from his position over the mishap. However, President Trump dismissed concerns, calling it “the only glitch in two months” and stating that Waltz had learned his lesson but remained a “good man.”
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