Signalgate

English

This English term is a hot word. Its inclusion on Wiktionary is provisional.

Alternative forms

• SignalGate

Etymology

From Signal +‎ -gate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪɡ.nəlˌɡeɪt/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Sig‧nal‧gate

Proper noun

Signalgate

1. (US politics, colloquial) A security incident around the United States government discussing classified information on unsecured devices via the messaging app Signal, publicized due to the chief editor of a news magazine having been added by the National Security Advisor on the 13th of March 2025 to a group planning military strikes against the Houthis.
   • 2025 March 25, Jack Blanchard, “Playbook: Signalgate”, in Politico‎^[1], archived from the original on 14 June 2025:

     As a story, Signalgate is more than just a serious breach of national security. It’s colorful, it’s visual, it’s easy to understand and it raises the most dangerous charge of all for any government — one of rank incompetence.

   • 2025 March 27, Noah Shachtman, “America Can’t Keep a Secret”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page A22:

     In SCIFs, the secure rooms where Washington officials conduct their most sensitive conversations, phones aren’t even allowed in the door. The people at the center of Signalgate — the national security adviser, Michael Waltz; the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth; the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; to name a few — all know this.

   • 2025 March 27, Jimmy Kimmel, quotee, “Jimmy Kimmel on Signalgate: ‘This operation was about as secretive as a Fortnite Twitch stream’”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 October 2026:

     Jimmy Kimmel on Republicans’ reaction to Signalgate: ‘How many times do you have to repeat a lie before it becomes true? I guess we’re going to find out.’

See also

• Whiskeyleaks