Senate Armed Services leaders Ask Pentagon to Probe Signal App Use/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Senators Jack Reed and Roger Wicker call for a Pentagon investigation into the use of the Signal app by Trump-era officials to discuss military operations. They allege potential misuse of unclassified networks for sensitive or classified information. The inquiry follows revelations that Signal was used to outline strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Signal App Military Use Quick Looks
- Bipartisan Senate leaders request Pentagon inspector general investigation
- Concerns raised over use of Signal for discussing military actions
- Classified info may have been shared without proper clearance
- Signal chat allegedly included sensitive data on Houthi strike
- Trump dismisses inquiry as unimportant; NSC to review case
- White House maintains transparency, but faces related AP lawsuit
Senate Armed Services leaders Ask Pentagon to Probe Signal App Use
Deep Look
A bipartisan pair of senior U.S. senators is calling for an official investigation into how officials from the Trump administration allegedly used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive military operations, including a recent strike on Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) jointly issued a letter to the acting inspector general at the Department of Defense. The letter requests a formal inquiry into whether unclassified digital platforms like Signal were used to share sensitive or even classified military information, and whether any of this information was distributed to individuals lacking appropriate security clearance.
The matter has sparked bipartisan concern, as such communications could potentially breach national security protocols. “We must ensure military planning and communications occur through proper channels and are adequately protected,” the senators noted in their joint request.
This development comes after a Signal message chain—revealed in a recent article by The Atlantic—showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlining a timeline and listing weapons systems used in the early March strike against Houthi targets in Yemen. Notably, the message thread also included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, raising further questions about who had access to the sensitive information.
Trump administration officials, including the former president himself, have dismissed the controversy. Asked about the bipartisan call for an investigation, Trump responded simply: “It doesn’t bother me.”
Senator Wicker, known for his strong defense credentials, indicated the Senate Armed Services Committee would push for a classified hearing to probe the issue further. The committee also wants the administration to confirm the accuracy of the Signal conversation, particularly given its potential implications for military secrecy and operational security.
In parallel, the White House National Security Council announced its own internal investigation into the incident. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday there were no new updates but emphasized the administration’s commitment to transparency.
“We’ve been incredibly transparent about this entire situation, and we will continue to be,” Leavitt told reporters.
However, the controversy does not stop there. Leavitt is also one of three current administration officials facing a lawsuit filed by The Associated Press. The AP accuses the officials of retaliating against the news agency for editorial decisions they disagreed with—namely, refusing to use the administration’s preferred geographic terminology, “Gulf of America,” in place of the internationally recognized “Gulf of Mexico.”
The White House has countered that the AP is not complying with an executive order related to naming conventions, a claim the news agency disputes as unconstitutional under the First and Fifth Amendments.
While the Pentagon investigation is still pending, the implications of encrypted messaging apps being used for military coordination—and the blurred lines between journalistic access and national security—have quickly become a focal point of debate on Capitol Hill.
As lawmakers await further information from both the Pentagon and the White House, the episode raises serious questions about operational transparency, classification protocols, and the future use of encrypted platforms within government ranks.
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