Homeland Democrats Write DHS Secretary Noem on Her Use of Signal App in Light of Trump Administration Texting Scandal
“Revealing sensitive operational information on sloppy text chains would only exacerbate the challenges DHS employees already experience carrying out their mission”
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Committee Democrats sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem inquiring on her and the Department’s use of the Signal phone application for official government business in light of the ongoing Trump Administration scandal revealing that senior administration officials, including cabinet secretaries, use Signal to discuss highly sensitive security matters.
In the letter, Committee members reminded the Secretary of ongoing efforts by foreign adversaries, including Russia and China, to gain access to sensitive communications of government officials. Indeed, just last month, reports emerged that Russian hackers sought to exploit Signal to gain access to encrypted chats.
The members also reminded the Secretary of her obligations under the Espionage Act, Executive Order 13526 – Classified National Security Information, Federal policies governing the handling of classified and sensitive information, and the Federal Records Act.
“Unfortunately, Monday’s reporting in The Atlantic calls into question the diligence of the Trump administration’s compliance with Federal laws and policies related to the handling of sensitive government information,” the Members wrote. “The public deserves to be confident that the government’s highest-ranking officials are not sacrificing security for convenience by having conversations on Signal that should be happening in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). And our democracy demands that Federal and Presidential records are appropriately preserved.”
# # #
Next Article Previous Article