The FBI has informed one of President-elect Donald Trump’s lead attorneys that his cellphone was tapped by Chinese hackers as part of a wide-ranging operation targeting top Republicans and Democrats in US politics. The attorney, Todd Blanche, was notified last week that the hackers obtained voice recordings and text messages from his phone, although none of the information was related to Trump. Blanche has since changed his phone number following the breach.
Blanche is the second Trump attorney believed to be targeted by foreign hackers, with attorney Lindsey Halligan also reportedly targeted in a separate Iranian hacking attempt. Chinese hackers have targeted other prominent figures in Trump’s circle, including Trump himself, Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, members of the Harris-Walz campaign, and members of the Biden administration.
The hacking campaign, which involved intrusions at US telecom firms AT&T, Lumen, and Verizon, is considered one of the most concerning national security-related hacks in recent memory. US officials are still assessing the full impact of the breach, with concerns about the deep access Chinese hackers have gained to call and phone records of prominent Americans.
The Chinese government has denied involvement in the hack, despite US allegations. The sophisticated nature of the hacking effort has prompted US government employees to take heightened security measures. For instance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has instructed its employees to use specific platforms like Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx for work involving non-public information, although there is no evidence that the CFPB has been directly targeted by the hackers.
The extent of the hack is said to be more significant than what has been publicly disclosed, with officials continuing to investigate the intrusions. The FBI has been contacted for comment on the matter, and the situation remains a cause for concern among national security officials.
