Trump says Signal could be defective while blaming chat leak on witch hunt

President Trump suggested Wednesday that the Signal messaging platform his top national security brass used to discuss the Houthi strike may be “defective.”While defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz for their roles in the Signal leak scandal, Trump took aim at the encrypted service without specifying why he thought it had issues.“I don’t know that Signal works.I think Signal could be defective, to be honest with you,” Trump, 78, told reporters in the Oval Office after signing an executive order to slap 25% tariffs on imports of foreign cars.

“It could be a defective platform, and we’re gonna have to find that answer.”CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who was on the leaked Signal chat, defended the use of the platform during testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, claiming that he was told “by the CIA director’s management folks was about the use of Signal as a permissible work use.”Signal uses end-to-end encryption to secure its messaging service, and the company denies that there are any known vulnerabilities within the service.The leak of the Signal group chat about the US’s March 15 attack in Yemen occurred because Waltz inadvertently added Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg into the chat named “Houthi PC Small Group,” as shown in a screenshot published by the outlet.“The press up-plays it.I think it’s all a witch hunt, that’s all.

I think it’s a witch hunt.I wasn’t involved with it — I wasn’t there.

But I can tell you the result is unbelievable,” Trump said of the Signal leak scandal.Trump also defended Waltz amid growing calls for his resignation.

“Mike Waltz, I guess he said he claimed responsibility,” Trump said of his national security adviser.“I always thought it was Mike.

But again, the attacks were unbelievably successful, and that’s ultimately what you should be talking about.”Trump also brushed off questions about Hegseth’...