Judge Orders Rubio to Preserve Trump Officials' Signal Messages for DOJ Review

Federal Judge James Boasberg has ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting as the U.S. Archivist, to collect and preserve Signal messages from top Trump administration officials involved in a controversial group chat discussing military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. This order follows a lawsuit by American Oversight, a left-leaning watchdog group, alleging that these officials violated the Federal Records Act by using Signal for official communications and permitting messages to auto-delete, which could result in permanent loss. While Boasberg acknowledged the group’s strong case, he noted his limited authority to recover messages already deleted, instead mandating Rubio to refer remaining messages to the Department of Justice and request Attorney General Pam Bondi’s enforcement to ensure compliance. The judge emphasized that Trump officials have neglected their legal duties under the Federal Records Act, but the court could only grant narrower relief focused on preserving undeleted communications. American Oversight’s executive director stated the lawsuit was paused but remains ready to take further action if the administration fails to comply with the order. This case highlights ongoing scrutiny of record-keeping practices within the Trump administration amid national security and transparency concerns.