Captain Convey Comment
From B0FH.
On Signal, you can name yourself whatever you want. Additionally, your phone number is hidden by default. This would setup the perfect storm for directory manipulation.
While the Double Ratchet algorithm that Signal uses is considered secure from a cryptographic perspective, the only way to prevent impersonation is by validating the user’s security number out of band.
Few people know this, and fewer still understand the principles behind it.
Waltz’s staffer understood this (likely by IC instruction), and leveraged this knowledge to either hand his boss a phone preloaded with a intentionally mislabeled contact of Jeffrey Goldberg, or impersonated his boss altogether.
From there, likely with some malicious prompting, specifics regarding publicly available information was shared, with the intention of using this innocuous chatter as an IC bludgeon against Trump and his cabinet.
Considering his and his wife’s background, Waltz’s is also likely the IC embed who will use a parade of staffers to excuse a bunch of faux bashful “oh foolish me” behavior to put the deep state sleepers in charge of RussiaGate version 3.67 by forcing recusals.
I suspect Trump is trying to avoid a Flynn repeat with this go-round, but “fool me twice” and I’ll kick your ass to the curb is hopefully in the cards if this happens again.
President Trump needs to order polygraphs for everyone on that Signal chat (minus the Deep State reporter — save him for espionage charges).