Alert: FBI Takes Possession of Lindsey Graham's Phone

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina had his phone confiscated by the FBI this week following his statement about receiving a message from an impersonator claiming to be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

During his speech at the annual The Hill and Valley Forum in Washington on Wednesday, Graham mentioned the possibility of his device being hacked after addressing the unusual message.

The event brings together individuals from the tech industry, private sector, security sector, and influential figures in politics.

While discussing concerns about espionage and artificial intelligence, Senator Graham shifted the focus to cybersecurity.

"I’ve turned my phone over to the FBI," Graham stated. "I received what I thought was a message from Schumer. It turned out not to be from Schumer. And the next thing you know, my phone is—I don’t know—anything you can create apparently can be hacked."

Graham did not specify the duration for which his phone would be in the FBI's possession.

Following Graham's disclosure, NBC News reached out to his office, Schumer’s office, the FBI, and the U.S. Capitol Police for comments.

The FBI, Schumer, and the Capitol Police declined to comment on the matter.

A spokeswoman for Senator Graham confirmed the incident, stating, "The Sergeant at Arms is investigating a possible hack of Senator Graham’s phone."

The Hill also contacted sources close to Schumer regarding the incident. A Democratic Senate aide mentioned that Schumer is unlikely to send text messages.

“Chuck Schumer isn’t texting you from his flip phone,” the aide remarked. “If you get a text message from Schumer, it probably isn’t real.”

The aide explained that Schumer uses an old flip phone from LG, which predates the popularity of text messaging.

Senator Graham was not the only lawmaker to participate in this week's Hill and Valley Forum. House Speaker Mike Johnson, independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, and Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey were among the featured speakers.