American Oversight Sues Trump Officials Over Signal Chat Violations

American Oversight has filed a federal lawsuit against five high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over their use of the messaging app Signal to discuss military operations targeting Houthi militants in Yemen. The organization alleges that this practice violates the Federal Records Act (FRA) as it obstructs the preservation of official communications, particularly because messages in Signal can automatically delete. The lawsuit follows a report by The Atlantic, which revealed that the editor-in-chief was accidentally included in a chat discussing sensitive military strategies. American Oversight is seeking a court order to compel the defendants to preserve and recover records related to these discussions, emphasizing that such military planning should be conducted in secure environments. The case highlights concerns over government accountability and the safeguarding of national security information. The White House has confirmed the authenticity of the chat, which raises further questions about the conduct of officials involved.