WH, Witkoff Refute WSJ Reporting About 'Secure' Phone

White House officials on Wednesday defended Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's conduct after The Wall Street Journal's editorial board voiced concerns about his inclusion in a Signal app group chat to discuss an American attack on Houthis while he was in Russia, The Hill reported.

Both Witkoff and press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized a Wall Street Journal opinion piece in which the editorial board called it a "real security scandal" that Witkoff was included in the chat while on a trip to Moscow to meet with Russian officials.

Leavitt said on X that Witkoff had been provided "a secure line of communication by the U.S. Government, and it was the only phone he had in his possession while in Moscow."

In his own post, Witkoff said he was "incredulous" that the Journal had not checked with him about whether he had any personal devices with him during his trip to Moscow.

"I only had with me a secure phone provided by the government for special circumstances when you travel to regions where you do not want your devices compromised," Witkoff wrote. "That is why CBS News reported that [Atlantic editor Jeffrey] Goldberg himself said that he 'has not recounted Witkoff making any comments in that group chat until Saturday, after he left Russia and returned to the U.S.' "

Witkoff reiterated that the reason was that "I had no access to my personal devices until I returned from my trip. That is the responsible way for me to make these trips and that is how I always conduct myself. Maybe it is time for media outlets like the Journal to acknowledge when some of their people make serious reporting mistakes like this. I would appreciate it if the WSJ and other media outlets check with me the next time they make serious allegations."

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