Many accounts seem to be associated with local and national politicians and political figures, including individuals such as U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw from Texas, a former mayor of Deltona, Florida, venture capitalists, defense industry entrepreneurs, and company executives like Christian Brose, the president of Anduril, a major defense technology firm. Requests for comments sent to Crenshaw’s office and Anduril went unanswered.
One account of particular interest appears to be linked to Susie Wiles, a key political adviser to former President Trump. This account’s list of 182 friends includes names of influential personalities such as Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, and Hope Hicks, former White House communications director.
Although the Venmo transactions for accounts attributed to individuals like Michael Waltz, Susie Wiles, or others named Barrett were not publicly available, it seems these users had not disabled the sharing of their contact lists, allowing their friend lists to be viewed publicly. Following an inquiry by WIRED to the White House for comments, Waltz and Wiles reportedly adjusted their Venmo privacy settings to restrict access to their friend lists.
Erin Mackey, a spokesperson for Venmo, issued a statement emphasizing the company’s commitment to customer privacy. According to Mackey, Venmo allows users to choose privacy settings for both their transactions and friends lists, highlighting its simplicity for customers wishing to keep this information private. This statement closely resembles a comment Venmo provided to WIRED following a 2024 story regarding Vice President JD Vance’s Venmo account.
In July of the previous year, WIRED reported on Vance’s publicly accessible Venmo account, which revealed connections to various individuals, including Project 2025 architects, Department of Justice officials, Yale Law classmates, and far-right media figures. An analysis of Vance’s public Venmo network identified an account associated with Michael Waltz, suggesting a connection among friends and friends of friends. The Atlantic also noted Vance’s participation, alongside Waltz, in a Signal chat where they discussed military operations in Yemen in relation to President Trump’s messaging on Europe.
The Venmo account linked to Michael Waltz was reportedly set up in 2017. At that time, the app prompted users to sync their phone contacts, automatically adding existing users from their address books to their friends list. Privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized this design, arguing it exposed users to unnecessary risks by defaulting to public social connections. It wasn’t until a 2021 report by BuzzFeed News demonstrated how easily then-President Joe Biden could be located on Venmo that the platform, owned by PayPal, introduced an option to hide friends lists, though it remains opt-in. According to Venmo’s privacy policy, users’ networks remain publicly viewable unless they adjust their privacy settings proactively.
Among the prominent names associated with the Waltz Venmo account, there are also accounts linked to everyday individuals, such as doctors, real estate agents, and a tailor. Experts suggest these low-profile connections could provide basic information, such as undisclosed health treatments, or reveal patterns and vulnerabilities. Often referred to as “soft targets,” these individuals may have access to sensitive information but typically lack protection.