WASHINGTON, DC – Following news reports by the Washington Post that members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, including White House national security adviser Michael Waltz, used personal Gmail accounts while conducting official government business regarding sensitive or exploitable national security issues, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“I am very concerned about the Trump Administration’s lack of operational security when it comes to national security matters.  There is a clear, troubling pattern and Congress needs to look at it in a serious, bipartisan manner.  Mr. Waltz and his team have engaged in questionable data security practices and it could cost our nation dearly.  Taxpayers have spent millions, if not billions, to give national security officials 24-7 access to protected networks and technology.  There is both the matter of compliance with federal records laws but also a matter of sloppiness that could be exploited by our adversaries.  If our allies don’t trust the administration and won’t share sensitive information then that is a real setback for our nation.  This administration lacks both discipline and accountability and it shows.”

According to the Washington Post: “A senior Waltz aide used the commercial email service for highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict, according to emails reviewed by The Post. While the NSC official used his Gmail account, his interagency colleagues used government-issued accounts, headers from the email correspondence show.

“Waltz has had less sensitive, but potentially exploitable information sent to his Gmail, such as his schedule and other work documents, said officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe what they viewed as problematic handling of information. The officials said Waltz would sometimes copy and paste from his schedule into Signal to coordinate meetings and discussions.”