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John Bolton Slams Trump Officials for Using Signal App to Discuss Sensitive Government Matters
In a scathing interview Monday, former National Security Adviser John Bolton sharply criticized senior Trump administration officials for reportedly using the encrypted messaging app Signal to conduct official U.S. government business.
Speaking on CNN’s The Arena with Kasie Hunt, Bolton expressed disbelief that top national security leaders would rely on a consumer app for conversations involving military actions and foreign policy.
“I couldn’t imagine anybody would use Signal,” Bolton said. “Some say it’s highly encrypted—sure, but if you think Signal is equivalent to U.S. government secure communications, think again.”
Bolton’s remarks come in response to a report from The Atlantic, where Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he had been granted access to a Signal group chat involving top Trump officials—including Vice President J.D. Vanceand Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the report, the group exchanged messages about recent U.S. military actions targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Goldberg admitted he initially doubted the chat’s authenticity, saying he found it hard to believe that “the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans.”
Bolton echoed that concern. “How can you conduct official government business over a nonofficial channel?” he asked. “Maybe in some emergency, if you’re stranded in Samoa with no secure connection—but they were in Washington, likely sitting in their offices.”
The revelations have sparked swift backlash from lawmakers. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a Marine veteran, condemned Hegseth’s actions on social media. “There is no world in which this information should have been shared in non-secure channels,” he wrote. “Hegseth is in so far over his head that he is a danger to this country and our men and women in uniform.”
The use of private, non-government communication apps like Signal for sensitive military discussions raises serious national security and cybersecurity concerns, especially when involving top-level officials. Critics warn that encrypted apps, while secure in everyday use, do not meet federal standards for classified communications—posing a risk to military operations, diplomatic efforts, and public safety.
As investigations into the reported chat unfold, questions are mounting about protocol violations, lack of oversight, and whether top Trump officials have compromised national security in their pursuit of secrecy and speed.
This controversy underscores the growing tension between convenience and compliance in the digital age—and may mark a turning point in how encrypted communication apps are used by those in power.