Lawsuit over Trump admin Signal chat leak assigned to Judge Boasberg
A new lawsuit targeting President Donald Trump’s administration over leaked Pentagon plans in a Signal chat has been assigned to Judge James Boasberg, the same judge who ordered a halt to the administration’s deportation efforts.
The government watchdog group American Oversight filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others violated federal records laws by discussing Houthi attack plans in a Signal group chat. The case has now been randomly assigned to Boasberg, who serves on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has called on Boasberg to recuse himself from the case, citing bias towards President Trump and his administration. However, Issa does not expect Boasberg to step down from the case.
American Oversight’s lawsuit focuses on the Federal Records Act, which requires federal officials to preserve communications related to official government business. The lawsuit names several government officials, including Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe, Scott Bessent, and Marco Rubio, as well as the National Archives and Records Administration, as defendants.
The lawsuit highlights the potential illegal destruction of records due to Signal group chats being able to delete messages after a certain time threshold. This raises concerns about the preservation of important communications related to government business.
Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Andrew Cherkasky expressed concern over the assignment of the lawsuit to Boasberg, stating that it could discredit the D.C. District Court for generations to come. He suggested that Boasberg’s prior rulings regarding Trump injunction cases may not be wise to allow him to preside over this case.
Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba condemned the lawsuit, calling it an example of improper judicial political advocacy. She emphasized the importance of not weaponizing the judicial system to distract from the administration’s work and commitment to national security.
The White House has denied claims that the Signal group chat members used the app for “war planning.” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard clarified during a House Intelligence Committee hearing that no classified information was shared in the chat. She attributed the incident to a mistake where a reporter was inadvertently added to the chat and stated that the National Security Council is conducting a review to address the issue.
In conclusion, the lawsuit filed by American Oversight raises important questions about the preservation of government records and the use of communication apps for official business. The assignment of the case to Judge James Boasberg has sparked debate and concerns about bias and the integrity of the court. It will be interesting to see how the case unfolds and what implications it may have for government transparency and accountability.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
