CIA Director’s Phone: Signal Messages Vanish

Controversy surrounds the disappearance of sensitive Signal messages from CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s phone. These messages allegedly contained discussions regarding U.S. military plans.

According to a court document filed by the CIA’s Chief Data Officer, Hurley V. Blankenship, substantive messages from a Signal group chat were absent during an agency review on March 31st. The review occurred shortly after a journalist was mistakenly added to the chat.

Blankenship stated the screenshot taken showed only the group’s name (“Houthi PC Small Group”) and administrative settings, lacking the actual content of the conversation. This revelation is part of an ongoing lawsuit between American Oversight and White House officials, alleging Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act breaches due to government business being conducted on an ephemeral messaging platform.

Judge James Boasberg had previously ordered Ratcliffe, along with other officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to preserve messages from a specific timeframe.

The Alleged Content: Military Plans in Yemen

The Signal chat group reportedly discussed U.S. military strategies in Yemen on March 24th, including *The Atlantic* editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. This raised concerns about security and transparency.

Attorney General Pam Bondi downplayed the incident, stating the released information was “sensitive, not classified,” while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the story as a “hoax.”

What’s Next?

The incident has sparked debate regarding the use of encrypted messaging apps for official government communication. Whether Congress will launch an investigation and the outcome of the ongoing lawsuit remain to be seen. The situation underscores the complexities of digital security and transparency in modern governance.