House Intelligence members press for investigation after Signal chat screenshots surface

At a March congressional hearing, members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence pressed senior U.S. intelligence leaders about published screenshots of a Signal chat that included operational timing for a recent strike, calling for investigations and, in some cases, accountability for officials who shared the messages.

The controversy surfaced as the committee took testimony on the intelligence community's 2025 annual threat assessment. Chairman Crawford opened by noting the chat had become public and said he expected the public hearing to focus on foreign threats; Ranking Member Himes and multiple other members repeatedly returned to the Signal messages when questioning witnesses.

Why it matters: Committee members said the exchange — which includes lines such as “Time now, 11:44 Eastern time. Weather is favorable. Just confirmed with CENTCOM. We are go for mission launch” and references to aircraft and strike windows — risks revealing operational details that could be useful to adversaries and allies alike. Lawmakers called for accountability and for a full investigation into how the messages were shared publicly.

Director of National Intelligence Chelsea Gabbard told the committee the chat was being reviewed by the National Security Council and that her office of general counsel was coordinating with the Department of Justice on legal aspects. Gabbard said, “There were no sources, methods, locations, or war plans that were shared,” and that her office was limited in commenting further because of pending litigation.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe defended his agency’s conduct, saying he used appropriate channels for sensitive material and that public reporting has not shown he transmitted classified information. FBI Director Kash Patel and military witnesses confirmed they would cooperate with congressional requests for documents; Patel said the FBI would deliver certain materials to the committee “by the close of business today or at the latest tomorrow morning.”

Several members directly challenged the assertion that the chat contained only unclassified material. Representative Gomez said the published screenshots “included specific sources and methods and targets and names” in reporters’ publicized excerpts and called the claim that the material was unclassified “a lie to the country.” Representative Crow and others urged Secretary Hegseth to resign, saying the messages disclosed operational details and repeatedly asserting the content was classified under Executive Order 13526 and DOD classification guidance.

Agency and oversight steps: Witnesses said the National Security Council is conducting an in‑depth review; the DNI said her office would follow legal obligations to notify Congress of any significant unauthorized disclosure and would comply with committee document requests. Several members signaled they would press for inspector‑general or independent reviews; the Senate Armed Services Committee chair and ranking member have requested an inspector general report, according to members’ statements at the hearing.

What was not established: At the public hearing the DNI and other leaders said they had not seen evidence in the released screenshots that revealed sources, methods, specific locations or named undercover personnel. Witnesses repeatedly said classification determinations for DOD information rest with the secretary of defense. Multiple members disputed that conclusion and said public excerpts show operational details that merit investigation.

The committee closed the open session and reconvened for a planned closed session to review classified material and follow up on outstanding questions. The National Security Council review and any inspector‑general findings will determine whether additional legal or administrative actions follow.