{"id":2416822,"date":"2025-03-27T18:04:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T22:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-boasberg-orders-trump-defendants-to-preserve-signal-messages-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T18:04:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T22:04:37","slug":"judge-boasberg-orders-trump-defendants-to-preserve-signal-messages-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-boasberg-orders-trump-defendants-to-preserve-signal-messages-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Boasberg orders Trump defendants to preserve Signal messages &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-boasberg-orders-trump-defendants-to-preserve-signal-messages-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2416822&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A judge has ordered five members of former president Donald Trump&#8217;s Cabinet to preserve their Signal chat messages from March 11 to March 15 as part of a lawsuit regarding alleged violations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-astounding-defense-department-wiped-jan-6-text-messages-from-key-officials-watchdog-finds\/\" title=\"\u2018Just Astounding\u2019: Defense Department Wiped Jan. 6 Text ... From Key Officials, Watchdog Finds\">federal records laws<\/a>. The Department of Justice&#8217;s attorney assured the court that they are already preserving these records, despite concerns that some messages might potentially be unrecoverable due to Signal&#8217;s auto-delete feature.The lawsuit, initiated by the nonprofit group American Oversight, stems from reports that Cabinet members discussed military actions on Signal, potentially violating the Federal Records Act by failing to preserve these communications.judge James Boasberg is overseeing the case and has requested an update on the preservation of records by March 31. Trump has publicly questioned the random assignment of the case to Judge Boasberg, who has previously ruled against him in other matters.Legal experts have confirmed that the assignment process is indeed random,emphasizing the importance of impartiality in judicial assignments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge Boasberg orders Trump defendants to preserve Signal chat group messages<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2076499\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Judge James Boasberg ordered five of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s Cabinet members on Thursday to save their Signal messages from March 11 to March 15 as part of a lawsuit alleging they <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">violated federal records laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Department of Justice\">Department of Justice<\/a> attorney assured Boabserg they were already preserving the records and were agreeable to his order but added the &ldquo;caveat&rdquo; that the Cabinet members might be unable to recover some of the messages from the encrypted messaging app, which has an auto-delete option.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3361377\/trump-sued-fired-democratic-ftc-commissioners-bedoya-slaughter\/\">Trump sued by fired Democratic FTC commissioners: &#8216;Indefensible&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3361152\/trump-slams-boasberg-signal-leak-case\/\">Trump slams &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anheuser-busch-and-others-end-pride-month-sponsorships-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Anheuser-Busch and others end Pride Month sponsorships - Washington Examiner\">highly conflicted&#038;rsquo<\/a>; Boasberg for taking on Signal leak case<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3360784\/top-ms-13-gang-member-arrested-northern-virginia\/\">Top MS-13 gang suspect arrested in northern Virginia: DOJ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still in that process of determining what records exist,&rdquo; a DOJ attorney told the judge.<\/p>\n<p>The order came as part of the initial phase of a lawsuit brought this week by the left-leaning nonprofit group American Oversight in response to the&nbsp;<em>Atlantic&rsquo;s<\/em> explosive story about the Cabinet members&rsquo; use of Signal to discuss imminent plans to carry out airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint alleged that the officials were not properly preserving Signal messages and that some were being erased entirely through the auto-delete function, in violation of the Federal Records Act.<\/p>\n<p>Boasberg asked for a status update by March 31. As he began giving his order, he said, &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m going to do&mdash;and don&rsquo;t worry, it&rsquo;ll be in writing,&rdquo; while side-eyeing the DOJ, which has alleged in a separate, contentious case that only Boasberg&rsquo;s written order, not his oral order, is binding.<\/p>\n<p>The case marks the second one that Boasberg, a former President Barack Obama appointee and the chief judge of Washington&rsquo;s district court, has been randomly assigned that implicates the Trump administration and questions the sensitivity of national security information.<\/p>\n<p>The judge has become a top target of Trump&rsquo;s attacks after Boasberg temporarily enjoined the president from carrying out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a powerful wartime law.<\/p>\n<p>The president and his allies have cast doubt on whether Boasberg was randomly assigned to the Signal case. Trump wrote Thursday on social media that the case was Boasberg&rsquo;s fourth case related to Trump, which is &ldquo;statistically IMPOSSIBLE,&rdquo; he said, despite Boasberg&rsquo;s chambers confirming Wednesday that the judge&rsquo;s assignment was made randomly.<\/p>\n<p>Boasberg addressed during the hearing what he said was heightened public interest in the assignment process, saying that he was, in fact, randomly assigned to the case and that &ldquo;random assignment is accomplished by an automated system.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3359294\/judge-boasberg-signal-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">JUDGE JAMES BOASBERG, WHO HALTED TRUMP&rsquo;S DEPORTATIONS, ASSIGNED TO SIGNAL CASE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that, based on his familiarity with the D.C. court system, Trump&rsquo;s insinuation that Boasberg&rsquo;s assignment was more than coincidence was &ldquo;absolutely untrue.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[Boasberg is] such a by-the-book kind of judge, pretty rule-bound, that he would never entertain the thought of doing that,&rdquo; Tobias said, adding that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s all within the control of the clerk of court, and that person makes the assignments, and, I think, has a fair amount of insulation from the judges for appearances and reality. You really want the assignments to be blind.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2076499\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2076499\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge Boasberg mandates Trump officials to retain Signal messages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2416823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mike-waltz-ukraine-war.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[52352,52355,52354,52353,32076],"class_list":["post-2416822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-judge-boasberg","tag-legal-order","tag-signal-messages","tag-trump-defendants","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mike-waltz-ukraine-war.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2416822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2416822"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2416822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2416826,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2416822\/revisions\/2416826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2416823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2416822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2416822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2416822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}