Peggy Flanagan and Signal chat group
Executive summary
Allegations that Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was an admin or participant in an anti‑ICE Signal chat coordinating protests have spread widely on social media and conservative outlets, but multiple news reports cited here make clear those claims remain unverified and originate from a small set of leaked screenshots and partisan posts [1] [2] [3]. Reporting identifies the initial amplifier as independent commentator Cam Higby and a host of right‑wing accounts and forums that have promoted the allegation, while mainstream outlets cited have not independently confirmed Flanagan’s involvement or the Signal group’s existence [4] [2] [5].
1. How the Signal story surfaced and what is being claimed
The narrative began with social posts and an investigator claiming to have "infiltrated" encrypted Signal chats that purportedly organized rapid‑response actions against federal immigration agents; those posts named individuals including Amanda Koehler, Anita Smithson and Peggy Flanagan and labeled some as “admins” or “dispatchers” [4] [2] [3]. Right‑wing social accounts, forums and blogs amplified screenshots and allegations — some framing Flanagan explicitly as “Flan Southside” or an admin — and pushed a version that the chats coordinated doxxing, license‑plate tracking and obstruction of ICE operations [6] [7] [8].
2. What established reporting actually confirms
Available reporting confirms only that these social‑media claims circulated and that certain commentators and outlets have publicized purported screenshots and the story of infiltrated chats; none of the mainstream outlets cited in this set of sources confirmed through independent reporting that the Signal group exists or that Flanagan was a member or admin [1] [2] [5] [3]. News fact‑checks explicitly state the names and the group's existence could not be independently verified, and some local reporting traces the claim back to a handful of online sources rather than to verified official or law‑enforcement confirmation [2] [3].
3. Credibility of the primary sources and competing narratives
The central source cited by several outlets is Cam Higby, who claims to have infiltrated encrypted chats; law‑enforcement statements quoted in secondary reporting indicate the FBI is probing whether there is an organized network and what is lawful or not, but that investigation does not equate to public evidence linking Flanagan to administration of a Signal group [4] [9]. Meanwhile, fringe forums and conspiracy blogs have presented stronger assertions — including naming Flanagan as an admin and alleging criminal conspiracies — without producing corroborated documentation, which suggests partisan motives and amplification chains behind the most definitive accusations [6] [10] [8].
4. Political context, incentives and media dynamics
The allegation surfaced amid intense local unrest after a fatal Border Patrol shooting, creating high incentives for rapid attribution and political weaponization; conservative outlets and social feeds seized on the narrative to tie Democratic officials to unrest, while other platforms and fact‑checkers urged caution because of lack of verification [5] [3] [2]. Several of the sources here show how leaked screenshots and social amplification can create a de facto narrative that benefits actors seeking to discredit local officials, and some outlets explicitly note that naming prominent politicians amplifies reach even when verification is lacking [3] [7].
5. What remains unproven and reporting limitations
There is no publicly available, independently verified evidence in these sources that Peggy Flanagan was an admin or participant in the alleged Signal chats, and multiple fact‑check style reports and mainstream summaries state the group's existence and membership claims were not confirmed [2] [1] [3]. The FBI has said it is investigating organization behind unrest as reported by some outlets, but that does not substantiate the specific claim tying Flanagan to the chats; the available materials include social posts, archive captures and partisan forums rather than authenticated, corroborated records or official charges [4] [7].
6. Bottom line
The dominant facts supported by the reporting here are that social‑media allegations linking Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to an anti‑ICE Signal network circulated broadly and were amplified by right‑wing accounts and forums, but independent verification is absent in the cited coverage and major outlets have not corroborated the specific claims against Flanagan [1] [2] [3]. Given the partisan amplification, the presence of unverified screenshots and the ongoing nature of related investigations, responsible reporting should treat the allegation as unproven until independent evidence or official findings substantiate it [2] [4].