This needed to happen.
In a major legal blow to a liberal watchdog group, a federal judge ruled Friday that it’s too late to recover deleted Signal messages sent by top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration. The judge rejected most of the demands from American Oversight — a left-leaning group that routinely targets conservative leaders with politically motivated lawsuits.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied the group’s attempt to force the Trump team to recover encrypted communications related to a national security discussion. The judge determined such an effort would be “futile,” since the messages had already been permanently erased.
✅ KEY TAKEAWAY: This ruling marks another failed attempt by Democrat-aligned operatives to smear Trump-era officials with baseless accusations.
Trump Officials Targeted Over National Security Chat
The case centered around a group Signal chat where members of the Trump Cabinet, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reportedly discussed a military response to Houthi aggression in Yemen. The conversation accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor, who later publicized the messages.
Five officials were sued by American Oversight:
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Despite the media frenzy, this was a secure internal communication regarding national defense — hardly unusual for senior officials responsible for keeping America safe.
Judge: No Way to Recover Deleted Signal Messages
Judge Boasberg sharply criticized the left-wing group’s legal flip-flops. While American Oversight claimed the messages must be recovered, they had already told the court that such messages were unrecoverable once deleted from Signal’s system.
“The plaintiff’s own admissions make recovery impossible,” the judge stated.
“They cannot have it both ways.”
Although the judge instructed Secretary of State Rubio to ask Attorney General Pam Bondi to consider preserving future Signal messages, he made it clear that Bondi has full discretion to ignore the recommendation.
Liberal Group Vows More Legal Action
Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, issued a heated statement claiming that Trump officials should still be held accountable and vowed to take further legal steps if necessary.
But critics see this as yet another desperate move by leftist groups attempting to criminalize political opponents and interfere with President Trump’s second term agenda.
Bottom Line:
This ruling is a victory for the rule of law and a setback for partisan legal warfare. Despite the noise from liberal activists and legacy media, President Trump’s team continues to operate with integrity — defending America’s interests without bowing to political pressure.