Mike Waltz, Trump’s former national security adviser who was removed from his post in May following the “Signalgate” scandal, blamed the Biden administration while explaining his use of Signal, the commercially available encrypted app, to discuss a sensitive military operation.
While testifying at a Senate hearing on his nomination for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday, Waltz was asked about the potential national security breach that occurred when he inadvertently added The Atlantic editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal group chat with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and other government officials to discuss a military operation in Yemen.
“The use of Signal, as an encrypted app, is not only authorized, it was recommended in the Biden era CISA guidance,” Waltz said in response to a question from Senator Chris Coons about whether or not he was investigated for using the app to discuss sensitive information.
The former national security adviser was referring to a set of guidelines issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the federal agency responsible for protecting and coordinating cybersecurity and infrastructure across the government and states, in November 2024 in response to cyber espionage conducted by the People’s Republic of China.
However, that sheet was issued as general guidance for everyone with an emphasis on individuals who may possess sensitive information, such as political or government officials.
The Biden-era CISA policy specifically for government employees, discouraged the use personal devices for work purposes.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense’s policy specifically prohibited Signal and other encrypted, commercially available messaging apps, saying they were “not authorized to access, transmit, process non-public DoD information.”
“Unmanaged 'messaging apps,' including any app with a chat feature, regardless of the primary function, are NOT authorized to access, transmit, process non-public DoD information. This includes but is not limited to messaging, gaming, and social media apps. (i.e., iMessage, WhatsApps, Signal),” DoD’s policy reads.
Waltz and other Trump officials have insisted that no classified information was shared in their group chat and that the use of Signal was authorized in some capacity.
The former national security adviser reminded Coons of this on Tuesday, while excusing his use of Signal.
