Signalgate Was Not a One-Off As Waltz Reportedly Used Personal Accounts To Discuss Other Sensitive Topics

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Signalgate, the use of a messaging app to discuss highly sensitive government information and the inadvertent inclusion of a journalist by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in the group, was seemingly not an isolated event.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the embattled official has also conducted government business on personal Gmail accounts, which are far less secure than Signal and government accounts.

The outlet detailed that a senior Waltz aide used Gmail for "highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict." The aide was the only one to use his personal account, as others used their government-issued ones.

Waltz, in turn, received his schedule and other work documents, the outlet added, quoting officials who expressed concern about his handling of information. They added that Waltz sometimes copied and pasted from his schedule into Signal to coordinate meetings.

NSC spokesman Brian Hughes rejected the reporting, saying he has seen no evidence of Waltz engaging in the behavior described. He did concede to the use of Signal, saying that the app is "approved and in some cases added automatically to government devices." However, he contended that Waltz ever used it to share classified material.

Waltz was reportedly impacted by the scandal, although he has so far managed to keep his job. The Washington Post recounted that even though President Donald Trump strongly backed Waltz, he met with Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to discuss whether to keep him on. He decided to do so but mainly to avoid giving the "liberal media a scalp."

Trump is not only angry at the fumble, but also that the special election called to replace him in the House of Representatives is shaping up to be more competitive than expected.

Even if candidate Randy Fine manages to take the seat, Trump is worried a narrower-than-expected result could fuel a narrative that the GOP is already struggling, even in ruby-red districts Republicans won by large margins only months ago.

Waltz had won the district by some 30 points, but the most recent poll shows Fine leading within its margin of error.

Concretely, the survey conducted by St. Pete Polls for Florida politics shows Fine with 48% of the vote compared to Weil's 44%. The survey was conducted among 403 likely voters on March 22 and has a 4.9% margin of error.

Waltz also left his Venmo friends list public, according to a new analysis, potentially exposing the names and contact information of hundreds of personal and professional contacts.

Wired reported that an account that carried a profile photo of the national security adviser was linked to other accounts bearing the names of individuals closely associated with him.

Security experts consulted by the outlet warned about the chance that this kind of information could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies, as foreign adversaries often exploit indirect connections rather than targeting senior officials directly.