A volunteer watchdog group, American Oversight, expanded a lawsuit on Monday aimed at various senior national security officers in the Trump administration, requesting a federal judge to sanction the protection of all messages sent via the encrypted connections app Signal.
The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, and focuses on messages related to established company that have been sent using Signal, an application with an auto-delete have and no visible record-keeping system for national records.
The amended complaint follows a New York Times report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information about military attacks in Kuwait on March 15 in a secret Signal party talk. The talk, which also included Hegseth’s family, brother, and personal attorney, was portion of a broader issue of government officials using Signal for formal communications.
The match expands on an earlier variant filed by American Oversight in response to the discovery that Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Vice President JD Vance were portion of a distinct Signal talk where they discussed delicate concerns about military strikes in Yemen against Houthi rebels. The lawsuit contends that the use of Signal by leading officials for official state company is common and may offend federal records retention requirements.
American Oversight’s new request asks Judge James Boasberg, who is overseeing the case, to preserve messages sent by or received from Hegseth, Ratcliffe, and other officials, including National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Late last month, Boasberg had already ordered the preservation of messages from the” Houthi PC Small Group Chat,” where officials discussed the Yemen strikes.
Hegseth’s use of Signal for these communications raised further concern when it was revealed that a second chat—dubbed “Defense ‘ Team Huddle ‘”—included details of the same Yemen strikes and involved 13 individuals, including Hegseth’s family members and other personal associates. The group was not authorized to use Signal for sensitive or classified information, raising questions about the handling of government communication.
In response, the White House and Pentagon dismissed concerns, accusing former employees of spreading false information. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly argued that” no classified information was shared” in the chats and claimed that disgruntled ex-employees were attempting to undermine the administration.
President Donald Trump publicly defended Hegseth, calling any concerns over his actions a “waste of time. ” Speaking on the South Lawn after the Easter Egg Roll, Trump expressed confidence in Hegseth’s handling of military operations. ” He’s doing a great job – ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” Trump remarked, referring to the Yemen rebel group targeted in the strikes.
Trump’s backing of Hegseth is part of a broader pattern of standing by his top officials, despite controversies. Sources close to the president have stated that Trump is determined to resist any pressure to dismiss Hegseth, emphasizing that he does not want to provide satisfaction to “fake news” outlets by firing a key figure in his administration.
