CIA Director John Ratcliffe (r) and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (l) denied sharing classified information on the Signal messaging app|Gage Skidmore; @SenatorBennet|CC BY-SA 2.0; X

In a tense Capitol Hill hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard denied sharing classified information on the Signal messaging app after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally added to a chat.

The US intelligence officials faced criticism from Democratic senators, who questioned the chat’s security and urged disclosure of its content. They also called for further investigation.

Editor Goldberg reported that the chat included Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that sensitive military details were shared just before the Yemen strikes. Hegseth denied sharing war plans.

Lawmakers from both parties criticized the use of Signal for sensitive discussions, which should ideally occur in secure rooms called Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), which officials have in their offices or homes.

NPR found that a Pentagon memo as recent as March 18 had warned military officials against using Signal due to Russian hacking risks.

Congressional hearings and probes are expected to determine what went wrong and prevent future security lapses.