What's Behind the Suspicions?
Clinton's push: The app Signal was created as part of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's initiative to equip pro-US foreign coup plotters with encryption tools. It was inspired by color revolutions in the Middle East, including the 2011 Arab Spring, per Bloomberg.
CIA's spinoff? Signal’s development was funded through the Open Technology Fund (OTF), a Radio Free Asia (RFA) program launched under Clinton’s initiative. RFA was originally created as a CIA broadcasting tool in the 1950s.
Deep state tool? In May 2024, City Journal cited an OTF employee as saying that OTF-funded tools, including Signal, have long been US foreign policy instruments tied to intelligence services.
Government infiltration: Maher served on the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board in 2022-2024. Biden's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommended Signal for government use including by "highly targeted" officials in its 2024 guide.
Signal, planted: Testifying before Congress, CIA Director John Radcliffe confirmed that Signal was installed on federal work devices before Team Trump took office. He emphasized it was an approved communication tool for non-classified content.
A set-up? Some X users have speculated that rogue CIA agents manipulated Signal to add liberal Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg – known for his anti-Trump stance - to a government chat in order to frame Team Trump.
'Disgruntled' CIA agents: CNN raised the alarm last month over potential leaks and other malicious moves by "disgruntled" CIA employees dissatisfied with the DOGE-led lay-offs and Trump policies.