Talk about laundering money reminds me of laundering facts and Signalgate. One of my "In the know" kids ran into someone, maybe at a party, who said drug people use the Signal app to communicate BECAUSE all incriminating messages can be set to SELF-DELETE. WHOA.
Did I misunderstand the guy from atlantic monthly, who took incriminating scr…
Talk about laundering money reminds me of laundering facts and Signalgate. One of my "In the know" kids ran into someone, maybe at a party, who said drug people use the Signal app to communicate BECAUSE all incriminating messages can be set to SELF-DELETE. WHOA.
Did I misunderstand the guy from atlantic monthly, who took incriminating screenshots? Didn't he say he caught one in the meeting setting delete times???? Not sending everything to the national archives or whoever tracks classified stuff?
Yes, it was the WSJ that reported on Mike Waltz routinely using Signal and its auto delete feature to discuss highly sensitive information. In addition to being a violation of the PRA and FOIA, it’s also a potential violation of the Espionage Act, depending on whether the material discussed is classified or highly sensitive. Here’s my original post:
Good talk guys, but FYI, on another note, SignalGate, the WSJ just posted an article that confirmed what Sarah, I think, wondered aloud in an earlier pod, ie, just how many times has this WH administration used Signal to discuss sensitive issues and broken the various records keeping laws (or possibly the Espionage Act). The answer is many times, and always initiated by Mike Waltz.
“… Two U.S. officials also said that Waltz has created and hosted multiple other sensitive national-security conversations on Signal with cabinet members, including separate threads on how to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine as well as military operations. They declined to address if any classified information was posted in those chats.”
“Mike Waltz Is Losing Support Inside the White House”, WSJ, 3/30/25
The auto delete feature of Signal is something everybody familiar with these apps knows about. I talked with a local Fox News channel reporter (not the big Fox News, just the local station in my city) and he told me that he, a Fox reporter, is not allowed to use Signal in his job (interviewing people, gathering facts, doing research) precisely because of the auto delete feature (if you don’t select a delete time, the app has a default delete time, so the chat will be deleted no matter what). Indeed, the Fox reporter told me that if his bosses ever found out he had used Signal, he would be FIRED.
Second, that same local Fox reporter told me that he and his station are entitled to ask for and receive any unclassified, non-sensitive texts in a chat between government officials under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and therefore it’s a criminal offense and a violation of FOIA for these guys to be doing government business on an app that deletes the text messages. It’s also a criminal offense and a violation of the Presidential Records Act (PRA) to use an auto delete app (the PRA requires all these type conversations to be preserved for future reference, basically forever). A young Fox News local reporter knows this.
Third, this is not the first time that this particular group of fools led by Mike Waltz has done this, ie, conduct official government business on Signal. I have posted elsewhere in The Bulwark that another news outlet (the WSJ?) was told by 2 WH sources that Waltz has initiated multiple group chats with these same guys in Signal and deleted them all. It’s how they do things, a routine procedure. SignalGate should be exploding in the headlines with all sorts of Congressional hearings, firings, and resignations. The horror is why isn’t it?
Since the WSJ reported that Waltz has set up “multiple” group chats on Signal for sensitive discussions on things like Russia and Ukraine, Politico now reports that additional sources are coming forward to say they can document at least 20 different group chats that Waltz has initiated on Signal:
“Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world”
“National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team regularly set up chats on Signal to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, according to four people who have been personally added to Signal chats.”
Talk about laundering money reminds me of laundering facts and Signalgate. One of my "In the know" kids ran into someone, maybe at a party, who said drug people use the Signal app to communicate BECAUSE all incriminating messages can be set to SELF-DELETE. WHOA.
Did I misunderstand the guy from atlantic monthly, who took incriminating screenshots? Didn't he say he caught one in the meeting setting delete times???? Not sending everything to the national archives or whoever tracks classified stuff?
Yes, it was the WSJ that reported on Mike Waltz routinely using Signal and its auto delete feature to discuss highly sensitive information. In addition to being a violation of the PRA and FOIA, it’s also a potential violation of the Espionage Act, depending on whether the material discussed is classified or highly sensitive. Here’s my original post:
Good talk guys, but FYI, on another note, SignalGate, the WSJ just posted an article that confirmed what Sarah, I think, wondered aloud in an earlier pod, ie, just how many times has this WH administration used Signal to discuss sensitive issues and broken the various records keeping laws (or possibly the Espionage Act). The answer is many times, and always initiated by Mike Waltz.
“… Two U.S. officials also said that Waltz has created and hosted multiple other sensitive national-security conversations on Signal with cabinet members, including separate threads on how to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine as well as military operations. They declined to address if any classified information was posted in those chats.”
“Mike Waltz Is Losing Support Inside the White House”, WSJ, 3/30/25
https://apple.news/AmZUFqGKORUa3vQK_wKaimQ
The auto delete feature of Signal is something everybody familiar with these apps knows about. I talked with a local Fox News channel reporter (not the big Fox News, just the local station in my city) and he told me that he, a Fox reporter, is not allowed to use Signal in his job (interviewing people, gathering facts, doing research) precisely because of the auto delete feature (if you don’t select a delete time, the app has a default delete time, so the chat will be deleted no matter what). Indeed, the Fox reporter told me that if his bosses ever found out he had used Signal, he would be FIRED.
Second, that same local Fox reporter told me that he and his station are entitled to ask for and receive any unclassified, non-sensitive texts in a chat between government officials under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and therefore it’s a criminal offense and a violation of FOIA for these guys to be doing government business on an app that deletes the text messages. It’s also a criminal offense and a violation of the Presidential Records Act (PRA) to use an auto delete app (the PRA requires all these type conversations to be preserved for future reference, basically forever). A young Fox News local reporter knows this.
Third, this is not the first time that this particular group of fools led by Mike Waltz has done this, ie, conduct official government business on Signal. I have posted elsewhere in The Bulwark that another news outlet (the WSJ?) was told by 2 WH sources that Waltz has initiated multiple group chats with these same guys in Signal and deleted them all. It’s how they do things, a routine procedure. SignalGate should be exploding in the headlines with all sorts of Congressional hearings, firings, and resignations. The horror is why isn’t it?
Wow. Very interesting about local Fox, that they'd get fired if they used Signal. Why doesn't national fox bring it up.
Good to know about "Presidential Records Act (PRA)". Thanks, will try to look it up.
And it just keeps getting worse.
Since the WSJ reported that Waltz has set up “multiple” group chats on Signal for sensitive discussions on things like Russia and Ukraine, Politico now reports that additional sources are coming forward to say they can document at least 20 different group chats that Waltz has initiated on Signal:
“Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world”
By DASHA BURNS April 2, 2025
https://apple.news/Aq9FuTuNxQYylVXo0yPuJkA
“National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team regularly set up chats on Signal to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, according to four people who have been personally added to Signal chats.”
Politico report was excellent