Are Trump staffers and team members violating federal recording keeping laws by using a messaging app?

Trump administration staffers are reportedly using an encrypted messaging app that erases messages shortly after they have been received.

Last week, Axios reported that the messaging service Confide had become the new favorite app for anxious Republican staffers, including those in the White House.

And the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that administration officials were using it to avoid being discovered talking to the media as President Trump cracks down on leaks.

The staffers may also be concerned about being hacked considering the leaks of communications from high-profile Democrats.

"We do see a spike in across the board metrics when there is a major news cycle about the vulnerability of digital communications," Jon Brod, Confide’s president, told Axios.

The reports raise questions about possible violations of federal records keeping laws that require certain government employees to use their official email address for communications.

“The whole f---ing campaign was about Hillary's emails and now Trump's team is violating the Presidential Records Act by using Confide,” tweeted former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor.

A White House spokeswoman did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the reports.