Report: Senior Trump Admin Officials Used Personal Gmail Accounts for Government Matters

Senior Trump Administration officials, including national security advisor Mike Waltz, used private Gmail accounts for government matters, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The administration’s management of sensitive information is already under scrutiny, after officials added a journalist to a group chat that discussed attacks on Houthi terrorists.

However Gmail has even less security than Signal, the app used to discuss the strike on the Houthis. Waltz reportedly used Gmail for tasks such as managing his calendar and handling unclassified work documents. While these materials are not as sensitive as the attack plans discussed in Waltz’s widely criticized Signal thread, experts told The Post that they should still be stored in a more secure system than personal email.

Another senior national security aide used Gmail for “highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies regarding sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems linked to an ongoing conflict,” The Post reports.

NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told The Post that Waltz ensures compliance with federal records laws by copying his official email when pre-existing contacts send work-related messages to his Gmail. “Waltz didn’t and wouldn’t send classified information on an open account,” Hughes stated.