Donald Trump's administration has been asked to preserve the messages from the 'Signalgate' chat. On Thursday (Mar 27) a US judge ordered the administration to secure the chats in which top national security officials discussed plans for an attack on Yemen's Huthi rebels.

Advertisment

Pressure builds

District Judge James Boasberg, as per AFP, ordered the Trump government to "preserve all Signal communication between March 11 and March 15."

This would cover the period between the creation of the chat by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz — mistakenly adding Jeffrey Goldberg — and the day US airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis were carried out.

Advertisment

Also read | Canadian PM Mark Carney slams Donald Trump's latest auto tariffs, calls it 'direct attack'

The judge also ordered the government to file by Monday (Mar 31) details on the steps taken the government to preserve the messages. 

This ruling adds pressure on the White House, still reeling from the controversy that erupted after The Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor was "accidentally" added to the chat on the encrypted chat application Signal.

Advertisment

Witch-hunt?

Trump has sought to dismiss the scandal as a "witch-hunt" while attacking Goldberg and The Atlantic for breaking the story earlier this week.

Also read | 'Get back the money ASAP': Trump asks DOGE to take back $8,000,000 given to 'Radical Left' Politico magazine

While denying that any classified information was shared in the group, Trump largely pinned the blame on Waltz, saying he has admitted he was "responsible" for the blunder.

Dismissing calls by democrats for the top officials involved in the chat to resign, Trump also sought to shift the spotlight to what he called the success of the raids on Yemeni rebel Houthis.

However, pressure continues to mount over the "Signalgate".

Also read | Watch: Russian state TV mocks Trump officials for leaked Yemen air strike plans, says they want to 'get in' THIS chat

On Thursday, The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a bipartisan call for a Pentagon probe into the Atlantic's claims that the chat, among other things, "may have violated federal records law".

"If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information," said a letter from Republican committee chair Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Jack Reed.

(With inputs from agencies)