American Oversight Expands Investigation, Demands Gmails Used for Official Business Between Waltz and Other Trump Officials in Rapidly Widening Probe

Following yet another bombshell report on the Trump administration’s troubling practices regarding national security communications, nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight has expanded its probe into the misuse of auto-deleting messaging applications like Signal for conducting official government business, filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking records of Gmail communications between key officials. The requests target exchanges involving National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State and acting Archivist Marco Rubio, and other National Security Council officials who may have used personal email services for government business.

According to the Washington Post, Waltz and his staff likely used Gmail for sensitive discussions, including exchanges containing military information related to ongoing conflicts.

This most recent controversy involving Gmail comes on the heels of American Oversight’s ongoing lawsuit against these same agency officials for using Signal’s auto-deleting messages to coordinate military operations, likely violating federal records laws.

“Just days after filing our lawsuit over the misuse of Signal for classified communications, we’re now learning that top national security officials in the White House have been conducting sensitive government business through personal Gmail accounts,” said American Oversight Interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “This latest revelation is more than just poor judgment — it’s a dangerous pattern that points to a systemic disregard for our nation’s secrets as well as federal records laws. When government communications are kept off-the-books, accountability becomes nearly impossible. That’s why American Oversight is committed to relentlessly pursuing the truth and holding officials accountable for these serious breaches of trust.”

American Oversight first announced its expanded investigation into the Trump administration’s use of the Signal messaging app for official government business yesterday, following reporting in The Atlantic and its lawsuit regarding the administration’s use of the auto-deleting app to discuss sensitive military planning. On Thursday, March 27, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted American Oversight’s motion for a temporary restraining order, ordering the preservation of all Signal messages between March 11 and 15 belonging to the defendants, including Secretaries Hegseth and Bessent, and Secretary and acting Archivist Rubio, as well as Directors Gabbard and Ratcliffe.

Background

The Federal Records Act requires federal officials to preserve communications related to official government business. Generally, agencies ensure retention of messages sent on apps like Signal and Gmail by setting policies requiring officials and personnel to forward them to official systems for proper archiving or to take other steps to preserve their content.

Since President Trump took office, American Oversight has filed numerous lawsuits and has launched investigations into Trump’s mass firing of independent inspectors general, DOGE’s secretive efforts to invade agencies, the Trump administration’s quid pro quo deal with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and its directive to USAID staff to shred and burn government records. American Oversight will continue to hold Trump and his allies accountable by shining a light on the administration’s actions.

American Oversight also played a key role in holding the Trump administration accountable during the president’s first term. Using public records backed by aggressive litigation, American Oversight uncovered extensive evidence of corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuses of power throughout the administration.