Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for counterterrorism, accused Senate Democrats of double standards in their reaction to the use of the Signal app, telling Newsmax on Tuesday he doesn't recall their concern over Hillary Clinton's national security gaffes when she was secretary of state.
Gorka joined Newsmax's "Newsline" to discuss the grilling of Trump administration security officials during Tuesday's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in the aftermath of the editor of The Atlantic being inadvertently invited into a group chat on Signal where military plans were being discussed.
Gorka asserted that Democrats have conveniently forgotten that Clinton was investigated by the FBI over the use of private email servers and personal devices during her four years as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
"I'd like the American people to just ask one very simple question: Where were all of these senators when Hillary Clinton was putting hundreds, if not thousands of classified documents on her unsecured private server?" Gorka asked rhetorically. "Where were they when we found out, in contravention of every security protocol, classified materials were being kept by Sen. [Joe] Biden in his garage in old, deteriorated Zappos boxes from the shoe store?"
The Trump administration has been steadfast that despite the errant invite of Jeffrey Goldberg, no classified information was shared on Signal, which is an accepted mode of communication in the federal ranks.
"It's strange that now they seem to have a problem with a story that is not a story. As [CIA Director] John Ratcliffe said, you are perfectly within your rights as a government employee to use this encrypted platform for non-classified communications," Gorka added. "And as [Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth] said, there was nothing classified that has been shared with any journalist. So the fact is, it's just another case of double standards.
"And to quote Newsmax's own [TV host] Chris Plante, 'If it weren't for double standards, the left would have no standards at all,'" he said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials. Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app. Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.