In a significant legal development, American Oversight has initiated a lawsuit against several officials from the Trump administration concerning the use of Signal, a private messaging app, for governmental discussions. Named in the lawsuit are prominent figures such as Peter Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Additionally, the National Archives and Records Administration has been included, as it oversees the preservation of government documents.
The core of American Oversight’s argument is that communications conducted via the Signal platform should be regulated under the Federal Records Act. Their claim asserts that utilizing an encrypted and auto-deleting messaging service for official communications, without forwarding those messages to a formal government system, breaches federal law. “Without court action, they – and many like them – will be automatically destroyed or lost forever,” the lawsuit contends.
Supporters of the Trump administration, including Hegseth, insist that no sensitive information was transmitted during these discussions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on the matter, stating, “No war plans were discussed on the chat,” and characterizing the exchanges as merely “sensitive policy discussions.”
During a hearing on Thursday, Judge Boasberg mandated that the officials involved must preserve their Signal messages dated from 11-15 March. His written order stipulates that this preservation requirement will lapse on 10 April, contingent on satisfactory measures being taken by the defendants in accordance with the court’s wishes.
Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, hailed this ruling as a critical step towards accountability, expressing gratitude for the judge’s decision to suspend the potential destruction of vital governmental records.
This recent ruling also intersects with another lawsuit overseen by Judge Boasberg, which scrutinizes the Trump administration’s application of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for deporting Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Accusations have emerged that the administration did not adhere to the judge’s order to return these individuals to US soil, prompting calls for immediate corrective action.
President Trump has fiercely defended his administration against allegations of misconduct, even suggesting impeachment for the presiding judge, actions that led to an unusual admonishment from US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
At the Thursday hearing, Judge Boasberg noted that he was randomly assigned this new Signal case and assured that his verbal orders regarding the preservation of communications would be documented in writing to ensure compliance and clarity for all parties involved.