In the aftermath of the Signal war texting leak, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton warned that the current administration’s use of a commercial platform in lieu of a secured network to discuss military plans is the “original sin.”
Newsweek previously reached out to the Department of Defense on Tuesday for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The handling of private military strategy among top Trump administration officials has triggered significant U.S. security concerns for some, as the backlash sparked a call from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired by President Donald Trump.
Social media has also erupted in the aftermath of reports of the communications held by Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, among others.
Goldberg says he was included in the message thread with the Trump officials in the encrypted messaging app Signal earlier this month. He reported that the chat included U.S. military plans involving airstrikes against the Houthis, the Iran-backed militia that has been launching attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid a clash over control of shipping routes.
Hegseth rebuked Goldberg’s report on Monday, saying, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” Waltz also hit back at Goldberg on Tuesday, calling him the “bottom scum of journalists.”
What To Know
While speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Bolton was asked about the Signal app and its use as a forum to discuss military operations.
“I think the key point here is the United States government over decades has spent billions of dollars to create the world’s most secure telecommunications capabilities. And why these senior officials, virtually all of whom are 24-7 able to get onto a secure phone, a secure video, a secure computer, why they would shift off of that for any reason to any commercial system … that’s the first, that’s the original sin. Everything else after that just makes things worse,” Bolton said.
The national security adviser for Trump in 2018 and 2019 then added that he doesn’t know why “anybody would use Signal for any purpose; I can’t understand.”
Bolton also said that it’s worth investigating if this was the first instance when Signal was used in the “national security space.”
Signal on Tuesday released a statement defending its technology in the wake of the scandal.
What People Are Saying
Signal, in a full statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: “Right now there are a lot of new eyes on Signal, and not all of them are familiar with secure messaging and its nuances. Which means there’s misinfo flying around that might drive people away from Signal and private communications. One piece of misinfo we need to address is the claim that there are ‘vulnerabilities’ in Signal. This isn’t accurate. Reporting on a Pentagon advisory memo appears to be at the heart of the misunderstanding: https://npr.org/2025/03/25/nx-s1-5339801/pentagon-email-signal-vulnerability….“
Signal added: “The memo used the term ‘vulnerability’ in relation to Signal—but it had nothing to do with Signal’s core tech. It was warning against phishing scams targeting Signal users. Phishing isn’t new, and it’s not a flaw in our encryption or any of Signal’s underlying technology. Phishing attacks are a constant threat for popular apps and websites. In order to help protect people from falling victim to sophisticated phishing attacks, Signal introduced new user flows and in-app warnings. This work has been completed for some time and is unrelated to any current events. If you’re interested in learning more, this WIRED article from February 19th (over a month ago) goes into more detail: https://wired.com/story/russia-signal-qr-code-phishing-attack/…“
Concluding, “Signal is open source, so our code is regularly scrutinized in addition to regular formal audits. We also constantly monitor [email protected] for any new reports, and we act on them with quickness while also working to protect the people who rely on us from outside threats like phishing with warnings and safeguards. This is why Signal remains the gold standard for private, secure communications.”
What Happens Next
Trump on Tuesday said he wants Waltz to investigate the Signal texting chain involving his top officials and Goldberg.
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