Rising Power Aide Beria Entrusted with Secretary's Phone, Entered Messages on His Behalf
WSJ: "Ordered Aides to Notify Foreign Governments of Ongoing Military Operations"
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 5 (local time) that as controversy mounts over the violation of security regulations following revelations that top U.S. government officials discussed military operations using the private messenger app Signal, it has been confirmed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth habitually used Signal chat rooms for official business.
WSJ also reported that the person who assisted Secretary Hegseth in using the Signal messenger in his office and was responsible for entering messages was Ricky Beria, an aide who has recently risen to prominence within the Department of Defense.
Citing anonymous sources, WSJ stated that Secretary Hegseth was involved in at least 12 Signal chat rooms for discussing official matters, with many of these chat rooms reportedly created by the Secretary himself.
According to WSJ, there were instances where Secretary Hegseth instructed his aides in Signal chat rooms to notify foreign governments about ongoing military operations.
WSJ further reported that in these Signal chat rooms, Secretary Hegseth discussed media appearances, overseas trips, schedules, and other sensitive information, even if not classified as confidential.
Aide Beria enabled the installation of an unsecured internet line and a personal computer in the Secretary's office.
Secretary Hegseth used Signal messenger via this unsecured line, the personal computer, and his personal phone, all of which were vulnerable to hacking.
Secretary Hegseth entrusted both his official and personal phones to aide Beria, who would sometimes enter and send messages in the Secretary's Signal chat rooms using the Secretary's personal phone.
WSJ reported that it was also Beria who entered messages regarding attack plans against Yemen's Houthi rebels into a Signal chat room that included Secretary Hegseth's wife, brother, and personal attorney.
At the time of his retirement application last month, Beria was an active-duty Marine colonel. During the tenure of former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, before the change of administration, Beria served as a non-political aide to the Secretary while still an active-duty officer.
Beria's purpose in applying for retirement was reportedly to take on a key position within the Department of Defense that cannot be held by an active-duty military officer.
He was appointed as a senior aide to the Secretary at the end of last month, and there is speculation that he may soon be appointed as the Secretary's chief of staff.
Mark Polymeropoulos, a former senior official at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), told WSJ that the use of personal phones and commercial apps poses unnecessary risks, stating, "There is a reason the government considers Signal (messenger) to be an unsecured means of communication."
There are also concerns that because Secretary Hegseth and others used Signal messenger for official discussions, some messages were not properly recorded and have disappeared, which may constitute a violation of legal requirements to keep official records.
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