CNN's Panel on Antisemitism Was a Total Trainwreck
Reporter Gave a Laughable Reason for Why We Can't Trust Polls Now
I'm Not So Sure Bill Clinton Is the Person to Lead Point on...
CBS News' Margaret Brennan Got Wrecked By Scott Bessent and Marty Makary Over...
Watch Scott Jennings Obliterate a Reporter Over Her 'Both Sides' Nonsense on Political...
The Democrats Are the Party of Antisemitic Terrorism
If Democrats Had the Truth on Their Side They Wouldn’t Have to Lie...
Jewish Americans Can No Longer Afford to Be Unarmed
Sanctuary States, Sleeper Cells, and a Nation on the Brink
White House Shuts Down One of the 'Most Disgusting Lies' Being Spread About...
Hey You, Get Off My Crowd
Two People Rescued After Plane Crashes Off the Coast of Connecticut
Marco Rubio Has a Warning for 'All Terrorists'
This Transgender Athlete Shared This Flippant Response After Dominating a Women's Race
Republicans Could Make History on Gun Rights
Tipsheet

Who's Been Impersonating a Top Trump Administration Official?

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Federal authorities are reportedly investigating an effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Several individuals familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the impersonator reached out to several prominent Republicans as Wiles.

Advertisement

In recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff, the people familiar with the messages said. 

But the messages weren’t from Wiles—and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House are trying to figure out who is behind the effort and what the goal is, according to some of the people. FBI officials have told the White House they don’t believe a foreign nation is involved, some of the people said. 

“The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,” a White House spokeswoman said. 

“The FBI takes all threats against the president, his staff, and our cybersecurity with the utmost seriousness,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “Safeguarding our administration officials’ ability to securely communicate to accomplish the president’s mission is a top priority.”

Advertisement

Wiles, the first woman to occupy this position, also managed President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Someone in Trump’s orbit informed people that Wiles’ phone had been hacked. Some of those who received messages from the impersonator became suspicious after the individual asked them to continue the conversation using another messaging app such as Telegram.

But the effort didn’t only involve text messages. The Journal reported that someone using a voice that sounded like Wiles also called some of her contacts. 

In some of the text messages, people received requests that they initially believed to be official. One lawmaker, for example, was asked by the impersonator to assemble a list of individuals who could be pardoned by the president.

It became clear to some of the lawmakers that the requests were suspicious when the impersonator began asking questions about Trump that Wiles should have known the answers to—and in one case, when the impersonator asked for a cash transfer, some of the people said. In many cases, the impersonator’s grammar was broken and the messages were more formal than the way Wiles typically communicates, people who have received the messages said. The calls and text messages also didn’t come from Wiles’s phone number. 

U.S. intelligence agencies have looked into the impersonation, some of the people said. Members of Congress have been notified about the campaign to impersonate Wiles, some of the people said. 

It couldn’t be determined how the impersonator was able to gain access to Wiles’s phone contacts, some of the people said.

Advertisement

Despite Wiles warning her contacts that she had been hacked, the impersonator is still sending messages. It is not yet clear what the individual is trying to accomplish.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement