A US federal judge has ordered White House officials involved in a secret chat on military strikes in Yemen to preserve their messages. The move follows a report suggesting they may have shared classified information.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued the order to members of former President Donald Trump’s national security team. Officials must retain messages sent via the encrypted Signal app between 11 and 15 March. The lawsuit, filed by watchdog group American Oversight, claims that using Signal for government communications violated federal records laws.
“The Trump Administration has and will continue to comply with all applicable record-keeping laws,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
The Atlantic first revealed the chat’s existence, reporting that messages were set to disappear automatically. This raised concerns that crucial records could be lost. Judge Boasberg clarified that his order was not a finding of wrongdoing but aimed to prevent message deletion.
Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who first reported the case, was mistakenly added to the chat. He identified accounts belonging to top officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The chat reportedly discussed a planned US strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen, with an account allegedly linked to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posting attack details.
American Oversight’s lawsuit names key figures, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The group argues that using auto-deleting, private apps for official discussions violates the Federal Records Act.
Judge Boasberg’s order, issued in writing, remains in effect until 10 April. American Oversight praised the ruling as “an important step toward accountability.”
