U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff denied using a sensitive Signal chat while in Moscow.
An article from the Wall Street Journal, which cited “press reports,” alleged that Witkoff received messages from the Signal app while in Moscow. It used the report to say there was a “building perception” that Witkoff was “out of his depth in dealing with world crises.”
The White House was quick to respond. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff “was provided a secure line of communication by the U.S. Government, and it was the only phone he had in his possession while in Moscow.”
“I am incredulous that a good newspaper like the @WSJ would not check with me as to whether I had any personal devices with me on either of my trips to Moscow,” Witkoff said in a post on X, quoting the statement. “If they had, they would have known the truth. Which is, I only had with me a secure phone provided by the government for special circumstances when you travel to regions where you do not want your devices compromised.”
He pointed out that Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg didn’t recount him saying anything until that Saturday when he returned to the United States.
“Guess why? Because I had no access to my personal devices until I returned from my trip. That is the responsible way for me to make these trips and that is how I always conduct myself,” Witkoff said.
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Flight data from FlightRadar24, viewed by CBS News, showed Witkoff arriving in Moscow shortly after noon on March 13. He was added to the “Houthi PC small group” chat about 12 hours later. He left Moscow for the U.S. on March 14, with a stop in Baku, Azerbaijan.
However, Witkoff didn’t send any messages in the chat during his time in Russia. His first and only recorded message in the chat was sent at 5:47 p.m. on what appeared to be March 15. He responded to news of the effectiveness of the Houthi strikes with two prayer emojis, one flexed muscle, and two American flags. His lack of activity over the period lined up with his explanation.
