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It's Complicated

Episode 115 | How bad is the Signalgate scandal?

It's Complicated

Renato Mariotti

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today's episode, hosts Asha Rangappa and Renato Mariotti break down the implications surrounding the Signalgate scandal, where top U.S. officials likely shared classified information with unauthorized individuals—including the editor of The Atlantic—over an unsecure messaging app.  Subscribe to our Patreon here, where paid members will get access to exclusive portions of this show. patreon.com/reallyamericanmedia Asha Rangappa, a Yale National Security Law professor and former FBI special agent, points out the dangers of using Signal to discuss war plans, and explains how its security pales in comparison to what’s necessary for handling national defense secrets. Renato Mariotti, a savvy legal expert and former federal prosecutor, unpacks the legal fallout of these breaches and connects the dots to other similar cases, pointing out ironic twists in how the law typically plays out. He also fills us in with a review of the Espionage Act and walks us through how intent and gross negligence matter in the handling of sensitive information.  The hosts discuss the potential for special counsel investigations and lay out the massive problems this breach poses for U.S. defense operations. And we’ll talk about how the lack of accountability and transparency for major lapses like these can endanger countless lives. In our rapidly evolving political environment, Asha and Renato urge our listeners to stay informed and remain vigilant as we continue our mission of unraveling the complex issues that can’t be boiled down into simple sound bites.  So be sure to tune in next time for invaluable insights from Asha and Renato, right here on It's Complicated Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:59.2

So, Asha, was there anything illegal about sharing national secrets over signal chat?

1:07.0

Eh, it's complicated.

1:12.6

I'm Asha Rangappa. I teach national security law at Yale University. I'm a former FBI special agent, and I'm a legal and national security analyst.

1:22.6

And I'm Renato Miriati. I'm a former federal prosecutor, a practicing lawyer, and a legal analyst.

1:30.1

And we're here to help you understand topics that can't be boiled down into a sound bite or a skeet.

1:40.3

Wow. There's a lot to discuss this week. I think it was so hard to even pin it down, but I feel like we kind of have to talk about this embarrassing, unbelievable breach of national security.

1:57.3

Of operational security. Yeah. Yeah. yeah unbelievable so we are talking about

...

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