Apr 02, 2025 11:25:00

Leaked emails reveal that government official behind Signal issue was now 'using personal Gmail for official business'

National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who was accused of sharing information about the US bombing of Houthi rebels in Yemen on a private app not controlled by the government, exposing war plans to civilians,

has recently been accused of using Gmail, a less secure app than Signal, to handle official documents.

Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/01/waltz-national-security-council-signal-gmail/

Report: Waltz used Gmail for official work
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/01/mike-waltz-signal-gmail-security

On April 2, 2025, The Washington Post reported that documents it had obtained and interviews with three U.S. government officials revealed that members of the National Security Council (NSC), including Waltz, had used private Gmail accounts to conduct official business.

Waltz reportedly used Gmail for 'highly technical communications' with colleagues in other government agencies regarding sensitive military matters and critical weapons related to the ongoing conflict.

Email headers reviewed by The Washington Post also showed that NSC officials used Gmail accounts, while their colleagues at other government agencies used government-issued email accounts.

Waltz was accused of using the civilian app Signal to communicate important military plans rather than using a government-controlled communications system, and there was even talk of him being fired. Gmail is an even less secure form of communication than Signal, which is end-to-end encrypted, The Washington Post points out.

According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, Waltz's Gmail account contained less sensitive but potentially exploitable data, such as schedules and other work documents, and he would copy and paste data from Gmail's schedule function into Signal to schedule meetings and get-togethers.

NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told The Washington Post, 'Mr. Waltz did not transmit, and did not intend to transmit, any classified information on his public accounts.'

Hughes said he has seen no evidence that Waltz used such a personal email, and that if he receives work-related materials through a personal email from a 'legacy contact' -- a contact he used before the Trump administration took office in January 2025 -- he always ccs the government email, pursuant to the Federal Records Act, which requires public officials to keep public records.

In response to a question from The Washington Post about discussing classified military matters on Gmail, Hughes said NSC staff are instructed to only use secure platforms when handling classified information.

'This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump's successful national security plan to protect our country,' Hughes said in a statement to Axios, criticizing The Washington Post's reporting.