(NewsNation) — Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said he would have never used an app like Signal to discuss sensitive topics when he held Mike Waltz’s position during the first Trump administration.
“I’ll just say, I can only speak for myself. It never would have occurred to me to discuss anything sensitive, whether classified or not … on any system other the government’s own secure telecommunication system,” Bolton said.
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Bolton, who was the White House’s top national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, said “there’s simply no excuse” to turn to Signal.
Instead, he believes the conversation about attacks in Yemen should’ve happened in the situation room in the basement of the White House.
“If somebody can’t attend for whatever reason, we have secure video telecommunication systems that can put their faces in the situation room,” Bolton said. “That’s how you do it.”
Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat, on Monday published an account of administration officials accidentally leaking what he first called “war plans” to him.
The bombshell article has lit a flame under members of the chat, which include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Trump administration officials have continually maintained that no classified information was shared in the message thread, an assertion some national security experts disagree with.
Bolton told NewsNation his major concern is how frequently Signal — or other apps like it — have been used previously.
“It looks, you know, from an outsider’s perspective, like this was not their first rodeo, that they’ve been doing this a lot,” Bolton said.
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Bolton hopes a Congressional committee or top Defense officials can look further into the administration’s communication methods.
“I’d like to know that, because that then tells you what the potential damage is. That tells you how many other secrets have potentially been put at risk, how much other damage has been done,” Bolton said.
Vance heads to Greenland as Noem visits Mexico
Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha, Waltz and other top Trump officials will be in Greenland on Friday, kicking off a controversial trip to the self-governing Danish territory.
Bolton admonished the administration’s calls to annex Greenland, telling NewsNation the visit’s outcome will greatly depend “on what Vance says.”
“Every time Donald Trump says we need to take Greenland, he is ripping apart decades of trust, good faith, reliance, good will toward the United States,” Bolton said.
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Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday. The pair are expected to discuss immigration, deportation agreements and trade tensions.
“I think closing the border is correct and important, and if this trip contributes to it, great,” Bolton said.
