American Oversight Demands Investigation Into Vulnerable Messaging App Use After Platform Reportedly Hacked
The action follows alarming photos of then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz using the TeleMessage app during a cabinet meeting.
In response to mounting national security concerns, nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight urged the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to investigate the Trump administration’s use of the vulnerable messaging application TeleMessage in conjunction with Signal. The group also called on NARA acting Archivist Marco Rubio to recuse himself from the investigation due to his own use of Signal and status as a defendant in related American Oversight litigation.
The request follows last week’s alarming revelation that former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was using TeleMessage, an app that purportedly archives Signal messages. Within days, TeleMessage suspended its services after multiple hackers reportedly breached the system — including one in just 15-20 minutes — potentially exposing sensitive government data.
“The photo of Mike Waltz using TeleMessage at a cabinet meeting was deeply alarming — especially given reports that the platform was hacked just days later,” said American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “This glaring national security risk demands immediate investigation. The public has a right to know if sensitive information was exposed — and what the administration’s use of TeleMessage means for recordkeeping laws designed to safeguard government accountability.”
American Oversight’s request urges Director and GSA Deputy Commissioner of Technology Transformation Services Thomas Shedd and CISA Executive Director Bridget Bean to immediately investigate the security risks posed by the use of TeleMessage to transmit and store sensitive government data. The watchdog also calls on NARA to assign staff to examine whether Trump administration officials used the platform in compliance with federal recordkeeping laws. Additionally, the request calls on Rubio — who also serves as secretary of state, interim national security adviser, and acting USAID administrator — to recuse himself from the investigation due to his involvement in similar conduct and his status as a defendant in related litigation filed by American Oversight.
For more information about American Oversight’s Signalgate investigation, click here.