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A nonprofit watchdog group, American Oversight, expanded a lawsuit on Monday aimed at several senior national security officials in the Trump administration, requesting a federal judge to mandate the preservation of all messages sent via the encrypted communications app Signal.
The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, and focuses on messages related to official business that have been sent using Signal, an app with an auto-delete feature and no apparent record-keeping system for federal records.
The amended lawsuit follows a New York Times report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details about military strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat. The chat, which also included Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal lawyer, was part of a broader issue of government officials using Signal for official communications.
The suit expands on an earlier version filed by American Oversight in response to the revelation that Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Vice President JD Vance were part of a separate Signal chat where they discussed sensitive matters about military strikes in Yemen against Houthi rebels. The lawsuit contends that the use of Signal by top officials for official government business is widespread and may violate 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.
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