Waltz team set up 20 Signal chats on global issues, Politico reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The team led by U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, set up at least 20 group chats on the commercial Signal app to coordinate official work on issues involving China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Waltz, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others have faced sharp criticism following revelations last month they used Signal, an encrypted messaging app, to coordinate and share highly sensitive details about a planned military operation targeting the Houthis in Yemen, rather than using secure government communications channels.

Politico cited four unidentified people who were personally added to Signal chats. Two of them said they were in or had direct knowledge of at least 20 chats and all four saw sensitive information being discussed, the outlet reported.

Citing one of the sources, it said Waltz and incoming NSC staff began using Signal during the presidential transition period and never stopped.

Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, dismissed the report, saying Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim that NSC officials were sending classified information over these channels was false.

"It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created. Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app," Hughes said.

The Politico story indicates far more extensive use of Signal by Trump's national security team than previously reported. It could spell more trouble for Waltz, who has faced criticism both outside and within the administration for the accidental addition of a journalist to the chat about the military strikes in Yemen.

Trump's vice president, JD Vance, and chief of staff, Susie Wiles, took a dim view of Waltz's use of the app for the Yemen strikes and suggested he lose his job, a source briefed on internal deliberations told Reuters.

Trump also was annoyed with Waltz's actions, the source said, but thus far has stood by his national security adviser. On Monday, the White House said it maintained confidence in Waltz and that it considered the case closed.

Separately, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Waltz and other NSC members used Gmail for government work. Hughes said Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts to his personal email but never used the account to send classified material.

On Monday, Democrats on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard calling for the intelligence community to conduct an independent probe into the Signal leak.

The top Republican and Democrat on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on March 27 they had asked the Pentagon to investigate the matter.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; editing by Colleen Jenkins, Don Durfee and Rosalba O'Brien)