WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in sending a letter urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved in the disclosure of classified material over an unclassified messaging app violated federal criminal law. On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group text chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified information was shared and discussed over Signal on unsecure, internet-connected smartphones. The Trump Administration has repeatedly refused to acknowledge wrongdoing and it has indicated that it is not interested in thoroughly investigating what happened.
“These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information,” wrote the senators. “Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike.”
“During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to ‘an equal, fair system of justice’ if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that ‘no one is above the law,” they continued. “As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately.”
The full letter can be found HERE.
Since the disclosure of this national security breach was made public, Senator Rosen has been working to get to the bottom of this violation of security protocols that put the lives of U.S. troops at greater risk. Last week, she led 15 of her Senate colleagues in a letter calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings to fully investigate this national security breach. Senator Rosen also released a statement strongly criticizing this inexcusable failure that could have endangered American lives, and called for disciplinary action on the matter.
###
