WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) wrote Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel requesting he confirm that the FBI will open an investigation into the Signal group chat that senior Trump administration officials used to discuss classified information, including information revealing that the United States was preparing to conduct airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

“Department of Defense policies dictate that information concerning military plans, such as contained in the messages sent by the Secretary of Defense, is classified, and no reasonable process would allow for communication of this information over a commercial messaging application before U.S. pilots had completed and safely returned from their mission,” Sen. Warner wrote.   

Director Patel, who was not part of the Signal chat, testified yesterday before Senate Intelligence Committee stating he could not provide information on this matter because he had only recently been made aware of it.

“Yesterday you testified that you could not provide information to the Committee concerning this matter because you had only recently been made aware of it,” Sen. Warner continued. “In other contexts, the FBI has acted promptly to open an investigation when information of a similar nature has been mishandled.”

Now, two days later, Sen. Warner is requesting that Director Patel clarify the actions the FBI will take to investigate this matter:

1. Will you commit to opening an investigation of this matter, if you have not already done so?
2. Will you collect the devices involved, whether government-issued or otherwise?
3. Will you scan those devices for malware or other indications of unauthorized access?

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Director Patel,

Between March 11th and 15th, the Secretary of Defense and other senior Trump Administration officials used a commercial messaging application to communicate information revealing that the United States was preparing to conduct airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The messages were sent as U.S. pilots were preparing to fly U.S. military aircraft into enemy-controlled airspace defended by surface-to-air missiles in order to strike targets known to change their location. Messages sent by the Secretary of Defense not only revealed, in advance, that the U.S. was planning airstrikes in Yemen, but also disclosed details concerning the timing, sequencing, and weapons to be used.  This information could have been used by the Houthis to shoot down U.S. aircraft, thereby endangering the lives of the U.S. pilots, as well as to relocate enemy targets or otherwise disrupt the mission.

Department of Defense policies dictate that information concerning military plans, such as contained in the messages sent by the Secretary of Defense, is classified, and no reasonable process would allow for communication of this information over a commercial messaging application before U.S. pilots had completed and safely returned from their mission.  

Yesterday you testified that you could not provide information to the Committee concerning this matter because you had only recently been made aware of it.

In other contexts, the FBI has acted promptly to open an investigation when information of a similar nature has been mishandled.  As you have now had two days to consider the details of this matter, can you confirm the following:

1. Will you commit to opening an investigation of this matter, if you have not already done so?
2. Will you collect the devices involved, whether government-issued or otherwise?
3. Will you scan those devices for malware or other indications of unauthorized access?

 Sincerely,

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