Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence, told Congress Wednesday that Signal is pre-installed on government devices.
Gabbard made the claim while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, after the revelation that Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic, was added to a Signal government group chat.
The Atlantic's story showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided times of warplane launches, strike packages, and targets of Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency in December issued guidance recommending "highly targeted individuals use only end-to-end encrypted communications," Gabbard said at the committee's annual worldwide threats hearing.
"They named Signal as an app as an example of such an end-to-end encrypted messaging app," Gabbard testified.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that Signal was uploaded to his CIA devices after he was confirmed, Politico reported.
The CISA and ODNI did not respond to requests for comment from Politico.
Signal had previously not been authorized for use on government devices, Politico said, citing a Defense Department Office of the Inspector General report that condemned a Pentagon official for using the app. Last month, the National Security Agency reportedly warned employees of potential security issues with using Signal.
The White House has dismissed claims that "war plans" were shared with Goldberg as a hoax.
"The Atlantic has conceded: These were NOT 'war plans,'" Leavitt posted on X.
"This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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