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CIA Review Finds Sensitive Signal Messages Missing from John Ratcliffe’s Phone

The disappearance of substantive messages from a group chat discussing Yemen military operations raises concerns over compliance with a federal preservation order.

John Ratcliffe, testifies before a Select Subcommittee hearing on the Coronavirus Pandemic investigation of the origins of COVID-19, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
CIA director John Ratcliffe appears during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine why Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic magazine was inadvertently included on a high level Trump administration Signal group chat on bombing plans in Yemen on Houthi targets on March 25, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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Overview

  • Sensitive Signal group chat messages involving U.S. military plans in Yemen were missing from CIA Director John Ratcliffe's phone during a review by the CIA on March 31.
  • The review followed a federal judge’s March 27 order requiring key Trump administration officials to preserve all messages from the chat between March 11 and 15.
  • The Signal chat, known as 'Houthi PC,' mistakenly included a journalist, exposing sensitive discussions and prompting heightened scrutiny of communication practices.
  • Court documents reveal that only the group name and administrative settings were visible on Ratcliffe’s phone, with no substantive content present.
  • The incident is part of the broader 'Signalgate' controversy, sparking bipartisan calls for accountability and reform in secure communication protocols.