Overview

• Photos reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune show Anthony Salisbury exchanging Signal messages in public that discussed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth considering sending the 82nd Airborne to Portland.
• According to the texts, Hegseth preferred using the National Guard and wanted explicit direction from President Trump before any Army deployment, with an aide noting the 82nd is primarily a quick-reaction force for overseas crises.
• A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the administration from sending even federalized National Guard forces to Oregon.
• The White House did not dispute the authenticity of the conversations, saying they contained nothing new or classified, while a Pentagon spokesperson said officials were working around the clock.
• The episode follows earlier “Signalgate” disclosures about senior officials discussing sensitive plans in unsecured chats that once included a journalist, renewing concerns about the administration’s operational security.