Washington — A senior White House official inadvertently disclosed internal discussions about deploying the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to Portland, Oregon, marking the latest in a string of embarrassing leaks from the Trump administration.
Anthony Salisbury, a top deputy to presidential adviser Stephen Miller, was photographed using the encrypted messaging app Signal in Minnesota, where he appeared to be coordinating with senior defense officials about possible troop deployments. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported it obtained images of Salisbury’s messages, which were visible in public.
According to the paper, Salisbury’s conversation included Patrick Weaver, a senior aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Weaver noted that Hegseth wanted President Trump’s explicit authorization before moving forward with the plan, citing concerns about potential fallout.
“Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss if anything goes sideways with the troops there,” Weaver wrote, adding that while Hegseth preferred using the National Guard, deploying the 82nd Airborne would “cause a lot of headlines.”
The 82nd Airborne, one of the U.S. military’s most storied units, has historically served as a rapid reaction force overseas. Its troops were deployed in World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and were part of the final U.S. withdrawal from Kabul in 2021.
On Sunday, Hegseth announced that 200 National Guard members would be sent to Portland “immediately.” President Trump later claimed the Guard was “now in place,” though local reports indicated deployment had not yet occurred.
Salisbury, who was appointed deputy homeland security adviser in January, was in Minnesota attending a family funeral at the time of the messages, according to the White House. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended him, saying: “Despite dealing with grief, Tony continued his important work on behalf of the American people. Nothing in these private conversations … is new or classified information.”
The revelations add to a pattern of high-profile leaks involving administration officials. In March, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief was mistakenly added to a Signal chat where senior aides, including Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, discussed sensitive military strikes on Yemen. A month later, it was revealed that Hegseth had shared classified details of those strikes with family members via another encrypted group chat.
The Portland deployment discussions come as President Trump continues to denounce the Democratic-run city as “war-ravaged” and a center of anti-ICE protests. Critics warn that sending in active-duty troops could spark backlash and escalate tensions.
