PGP uses RSA, so anyone in possession of an RSA exploit could exploit it just the same, which would make this a doubly-ridiculous way for them to show their han

PGP uses RSA, so anyone in possession of an RSA exploit could exploit it just the same, which would make this a doubly-ridiculous way for them to show their hand. I think it's more likely that the issue was the opposite: the FBI didn't think PGP was secure enough, certified correctly for this work, or that they believed there might be legal issues around PGP.