CIA director John Ratcliffe defends involvement in botched Signal chat, denies sharing classified information
Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post via Getty Images
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified that using Signal for work is allowed by the CIA.
- The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was added to a Signal chat where Trump officials discussed war plans.
- Trump intelligence officials claimed in a Senate hearing that no classified info was shared.
Using the encrypted messaging app Signal is permitted by the CIA, Trump's CIA director says.
In an explosive Monday report from The Atlantic, editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg detailed how he was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat in which Trump administration national security leaders discussed upcoming strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The outlet's report was a hot topic at a tense Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, where US intelligence officials were asked what was discussed in the Signal group chat, and whether it was classified.
When questioned by Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee's vice chairman, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that he was part of the Signal group chat reported by The Atlantic.
He also said that the CIA routinely uses the end-to-end encrypted app.
"One of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director was Signal was loaded onto my computer at the CIA as it is for most CIA officers," Ratcliffe said.
He said that the CIA records management team briefed him on the permissible use of Signal as a practice that he said was also allowed under the Biden administration.
"It is permissible to use to communicate and coordinate for work purposes. Provided that any decisions that are made are also recorded through formal channels. So those were procedures that were implemented. My staff implemented those processes," Ratcliffe said.
"My communications, to be clear, in a Signal message group were entirely permissible and lawful and did not include classified information," he added.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was apparently also in the chat, according to Goldberg. She at first refused to answer questions on Tuesday about whether she was in it, but later implied that she was when she repeatedly said she could not "recall" specific content discussed in the Signal group.
Last week, the Pentagon sent out internal guidance warning about the vulnerability of using Signal, according to NPR.
"Russian professional hacking groups are employing the 'linked devices' features to spy on encrypted conversations," the memo reads. "Please note: third-party messaging apps (e.g. Signal) are permitted by policy for unclassified accountability/recall exercises but are not approved to process or store non-public unclassified information."
Both Ratcliffe and Gabbard said that the information discussed in the chat was not classified.
But Sen. Warner and other Democrats repeatedly argued that the Signal chat likely contained classified information.
"This pattern of an amazing cavalier attitude towards classified information is reckless, sloppy," Warner said. "Make no mistake, these actions make America less safe."