Report: Kash Patel Targeted in Iranian Hacking Attempt
The FBI recently informed Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, that he had been targeted in an Iranian hacking operation.
Sources speaking with CNN indicated that the hackers may have accessed some of Patel’s emails. While Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer issued a statement to CNN, he did not directly address the hacking incident.
“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer stated.
This attack on Trump’s FBI nominee is the latest example of foreign hackers attempting to infiltrate the incoming administration.
The FBI also reportedly alerted Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, nominated as deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers had compromised his cell phone last month. While there were allegations that the Chinese government orchestrated the hack, Beijing has denied involvement.
Blanche is not the first Trump-affiliated attorney targeted by foreign hackers. In August, CNN reported that a separate Iranian hacking operation attempted to breach lawyer Lindsey Halligan.
Previously, Donald Trump Jr. revealed that the FBI warned him he was one of the Islamic Republic’s “top targets.”
Since Trump authorized a drone strike in 2020 that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iran has increased its focus on individuals tied to Trump’s first term.
In September, the Justice Department charged three Iranian operatives with hacking into Trump’s campaign and selling stolen data to major news outlets and the Biden re-election campaign. Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post all declined to publish the leaked information. Tehran has dismissed claims of attempting to interfere in the November 5 U.S. election.
On Saturday, Trump nominated Patel, a 44-year-old New Yorker and staunch supporter, to replace Christopher Wray as FBI director.
Patel’s confirmation process is beginning on a promising note, with multiple Republican senators signaling their support.
The Allbritton Journalism Institute (NOTUS) reported Monday evening that all GOP senators are approaching Patel’s nomination with an open mind.
Moderate Republicans like Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) stated on Monday they would evaluate Patel’s candidacy fairly, marking a contrast to their resistance toward Matt Gaetz’s recent attorney general nomination.
“I don’t know his background,” Collins said of Patel, according to NOTUS. “He is the nominee that I will have to do a lot of work on.”
Murkowski refrained from ruling out her support, commenting, “I’ve said I’m not going to comment about any of these nominees because when one has not slept, it’s really not wise to speak.”
While some senators are still weighing their decisions, others have already expressed their backing.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) has offered his full support, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), during a Sunday appearance on CBS News’s Face the Nation, predicted that Patel, “a very strong nominee,” would “be confirmed by the Senate.”
Republicans, holding a 52-seat majority, can afford to lose only two votes on this nomination until Ohio Governor Mike DeWine names a replacement for president-elect JD Vance (R-OH).
Patel’s qualifications are robust. He has served as chief of staff at the Pentagon, senior adviser to the Director of National Intelligence, and lead counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
During Trump’s first term, Patel led White House counterterrorism operations. His previous roles also include serving as both a prosecutor and a public defender.