A watchdog group sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration officials on Tuesday, alleging they violated federal record-keeping laws by using the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss alleged U.S. “war plans” after a journalist was accidentally added to their chat.
The lawsuit from American Oversight seeks a court ruling that Hegseth and others broke the Federal Records Act by failing to preserve official communications. It follows a striking Atlantic report by Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who revealed he was inadvertently added to a Signal thread in which Hegseth discussed airstrike plans on Houthi targets in Yemen.
“Defendants, in their capacities as agency heads for their respective agencies, know or reasonably should know that the communications in the Signal chat constitute ‘records’ under the FRA,” American Oversight wrote in an 18-page complaint, noting that the alleged messages — some were presented as screenshots in Goldberg’s reporting — were subject to automatic deletion in the coming days.
American Oversight pointed out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also appeared on the Signal chat and is named in the lawsuit, is currently the acting archivist, giving him the legal responsibility to address the records breach.
“Defendants, as members of the Signal chat, know or reasonably should know that one or more messages in the Signal chat were or remain subject to automatic deletion in violation of the FRA and implementing rules and regulations of Defendants’ respective agencies,” the complaint said.
White House spokesman Steve Cheung responded to the lawsuit, pointing out that American Oversight is backed by a “partisan organization” backed by “Democratic donors and operatives who would rather see terrorists win and this country burn down.”
“President Trump has assembled the best Cabinet and Administration in American history, and we continue to rack up wins while those who oppose America will continue to be losers of the highest order,” Cheung said.
The chat included top officials such as national security adviser Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Vice President JD Vance. Goldberg said Hegseth at one point declared the group was “clean on OPSEC,” even while posting specific strike sequencing, targets, and weapon systems. The White House confirmed the chat’s authenticity on Monday.
Some Democrats are now demanding resignations. “This is one of the dumbest security breaches in American history,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who called for Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard, and special envoy Steve Witkoff to step down. “It might have jeopardized the lives of Americans serving in harm’s way.”
During a tense Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Gabbard and Ratcliffe insisted no classified material was shared. Ratcliffe also noted the use of Signal was “permissible” and “lawful,” pointing to its use by Biden administration.
Still, Democrats pressed them on whether military strike planning could ever be considered unclassified. “Make no mistake, these actions make America less safe,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said.
RATCLIFFE: SIGNAL WAS APPROVED FOR COMMUNICATION USE BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
President Donald Trump, asked Tuesday if his administration would continue using Signal, appeared to shy away from his Cabinet using the app in the future but said certain situations may call for it.
“I don’t think we’ll probably be using it very much,” Trump said before noting, “We may be forced to use it; you may be in a situation where you need speed instead of gross safety.”
