The US Senate has begun hearings on the high-profile incident involving the leak of high-ranking US officials' correspondence in the Signal messenger. Key figures from the US intelligence services appeared before the senators at the Intelligence Committee meeting: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Cash Patel, and NSA Director Timothy Howe. The investigation was prompted by the publication of data showing that The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a closed chat where plans for military strikes on Yemen were discussed. This incident caused a storm of indignation in Washington and called into question the security of communications of the Donald Trump administration.

The heads of the intelligence agencies unanimously stated that no classified information was disseminated in the chat, and the incident itself does not have catastrophic consequences for national security. John Ratcliffe, in particular, emphasized that the Signal messenger was installed on his work device and was used within the framework of authorized CIA procedures. However, their attempts to downplay the scale of the problem did not convince the senators. Members of the committee, representing both the Democratic and Republican parties, intend to conduct a thorough analysis of all correspondence from the chat, which they expect to receive in the near future. According to them, comparing the testimony of officials with the content of the messages will allow us to establish how true their claims are.

Tulsi Gabbard’s stance drew particular attention at the hearing. The director of national intelligence, while abroad, declined to answer a direct question from senators about whether she used a personal or work phone to communicate on Signal. Her evasiveness drew a sharp response: According to lawmakers, such behavior from none of her predecessors allowed herself to be allowed by the intelligence chief. Senator Mark Warner, the committee’s vice chairman, publicly criticized Gabbard, noting that the lack of a clear answer undermines confidence in her ability to lead the country’s 18 intelligence agencies. The episode is likely to become an excuse for further pressure on Gabbard, whose nomination has already been fraught with controversy due to her past statements on Russia and Syria.

The scandal erupted on March 24, 2025, when it became known that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz mistakenly added a journalist to a chat room that included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other senior officials. The correspondence included a discussion of upcoming strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, which led to accusations of a leak of classified information. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the incident “one of the most egregious failures in the history of military intelligence,” calling for a full investigation. Republicans, for their part, have taken a more reserved stance so far, although some of them have also expressed concern.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the March 2025 strikes on Yemen actually took place, which confirmed the authenticity of some of the information from the chat. This gave Democrats grounds to claim that the error could have put the lives of American soldiers at risk if the data had fallen into enemy hands. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta called the use of the messenger for such discussions a “gross violation of protocols” in an interview with CNN, stressing that those responsible should be held accountable. Meanwhile, Trump, commenting on the situation, said that he did not see the incident as a serious problem and expressed distrust of The Atlantic as a source.

Senators have already requested access to the full correspondence and intend to hold closed hearings to clarify all the circumstances.