The FBI and the Trump administration have launched a joint investigation into how an impersonator hacked White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ phone.
An unknown person pretending to be Wiles has called or texted Republican senators and governors, and “prominent” business executives over the last few weeks, sources told The Wall Street Journal. It’s not clear what the impersonator’s goal is.
The caller reportedly sounds like Wiles, and officials believe the impersonator may have used artificial intelligence to imitate Wiles’s voice, sources told the Journal.
Sources told the newspaper that investigators do not believe that foreign actors are to blame for the hacking.
One lawmaker told the Journal that a text supposedly from Wiles asked them to compile a list of people for Trump to pardon. Some of the texts appeared straightforward and legitimate, while others were odd, the targets said.
Some of the language reportedly didn’t sound like Wiles, and the impersonator sometimes asked questions Wiles should have known. In one particularly suspicious request, the impersonator asked a target to transfer cash, according to the Journal.
The calls and texts did not come from Wiles’ phone.
Wiles – one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, who ran his campaign – reportedly recently told associates that her personal phone had been hacked, which may have been how her impersonator discovered her contacts and their contact information.
A source told The Journal, “ Some White House advisers have privately joked about how busy the impersonator seems to be.”
Her email was also reportedly hacked last August, reportedly by Iranian agents.
“The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,” a White House spokeswoman told the newspaper.
Wiles’ appointment to such a prominent position drew criticism thanks to her previous career as a lobbyist.
Fellow lobbyist Craig Holman told the Associated Press back in November that her appointment “bodes very poorly for what we are about to see from the next Trump administration.”
“This time around, Trump didn’t even mention ‘draining the swamp.’ … He’s not even pretending.”
Wiles’ selection as chief of staff was Trump’s first announced hire after his win. Wiles co-led the former president’s campaign and was widely credited with having run an operation that was far more disciplined than his two previous efforts. Even so, she will have her work cut out for her. Though the job has traditionally entailed policing who has access to the president, Trump chafed at such efforts during his first presidency as he churned through four chiefs of staff.
During his recent victory speech, Trump called Wiles and “Ice Maiden” while praising her as a consummate behind-the-scenes player. She is the first woman to hold the position.
The Associated Press contributed to his report.
