Double Standards? Trump Justice Officials Silent on SignalGate After Pushing Charges for Hillary, Biden

When Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden faced scrutiny over classified documents, top Trump-era Justice Department and FBI officials aggressively demanded criminal investigations and severe penalties. But now, those same officials remain conspicuously silent on the SignalGate scandal, where senior Trump administration figures used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss military attack plans—messages that included a journalist by accident.

Prominent figures such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, and DC interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin were vocal in their past condemnation of Clinton and Biden. Yet, they have refused to publicly criticize Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other Trump officials involved in the SignalGate controversy.

The Trump administration has denied that classified information was shared in the leaked texts, first reported by The Atlantic, detailing plans to bomb rebel targets in Yemen. However, CNN reports that some of the information exchanged in the chat was highly classified at the time.

As Florida’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi was relentless in her calls for legal action against Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin. She insisted their handling of classified emails warranted prosecution, stating in a 2018 Fox News appearance:

“When you have the top-secret security clearance that Huma Abedin had—you know when you send those emails that you are violating the law. No objective law enforcement officer would refuse to charge her.”

Yet, when addressing the SignalGate scandal, Bondi defended the Trump officials involved, downplaying concerns by stating:

“What we should be talking about is how successful the mission was. If you want to discuss classified information, look at Hillary Clinton’s home and Biden’s garage.”

Kash Patel, now FBI Director, previously called for harsh prison sentences for those leaking classified material. In a 2021 interview, he emphasized:

“A leak of classified information—that’s a federal offense punishable by over a decade in prison.”

Yet, Patel has remained silent on SignalGate, despite past criticisms of special counsel Robert Hur’s decision not to charge Biden for classified document mishandling.

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned FBI Deputy Director, also had strong words on Clinton’s email scandal. He labeled the FBI’s 2016 decision not to charge Clinton a “travesty of justice,” asserting that a conviction could have been secured based on the evidence presented.

Bongino even questioned whether former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe had improperly handled classified information, yet he has not commented on Trump officials’ use of Signal for military communications.

As interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin could oversee any prosecution related to SignalGate. In the past, he made his position on classified documents clear:

“When Biden took those classified documents, he broke the law, period.”

In 2018, Martin declared that “almost anyone” leaking classified material should go to jail. However, he has not addressed whether the SignalGate incident merits investigation.

Despite previous calls for strict enforcement of classified information laws, Trump’s Justice officials have yet to apply the same scrutiny to SignalGate. The FBI declined to comment when approached by CNN.

The contrast in their responses raises a key question: Is the outrage over classified information truly about national security, or is it just political theater?