Top U.S. Officials’ Private Contact Info Reportedly Found Online Amid Signal Chat Scandal

In a startling revelation, reporters have claimed they discovered private contact information of prominent Trump administration officials online. This discovery comes amid the fallout of a Signal text chain leak detailing U.S. plans to attack Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Germany’s Der Spiegel reported that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had their phone numbers, email addresses, and even passwords exposed. According to the report, the information was obtained using commercial people search tools and hacked customer data made available on the internet.

"Most of these numbers and email addresses are apparently still in use," Der Spiegel stated, adding that some were tied to profiles on social media platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn, and even used to create Dropbox accounts and fitness tracking profiles. If this wasn’t dramatic enough, the outlet also uncovered WhatsApp and Signal accounts linked to several of the phone numbers.

It seems the aftermath of the Signal chat scandal continues to brew trouble. Former President Trump has weighed in, saying he "always thought" Waltz was responsible for the leak. While Trump’s commentary adds fuel to the fire, the real eyebrow-raiser here is the claim that an email address tied to Hegseth was in active use just days ago.

In efforts to verify the findings, Der Spiegel reached out to WhatsApp and Signal accounts reportedly associated with Waltz; however, these accounts appear to have been deactivated shortly afterward. Similarly, private Google accounts linked to Gabbard were reportedly used as recently as two weeks ago.

Interestingly, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence downplayed the situation, suggesting that the data "occurred almost 10 years ago," and that the passwords have been frequently updated since. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly echoed this sentiment, stating that the accounts and passwords tied to the leaks were "nearly a decade old." Still, one has to wonder: why is this information lingering in cyberspace?

The Department of Defense has not yet commented on the matter, leaving room for speculation about the severity of this breach and its implications for national security.