According to officials familiar with the situation, Chinese hackers targeted the smartphones of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
The Trump/Vance team was informed this week that Trump and Vance are among numerous people whose phone numbers are suspected to have been targeted and potentially compromised, according to sources. It’s unclear how much access was acquired to the devices. According to ABC News sources, investigators are working to determine this information.
People involved in the Harris-Walz campaign were also targeted, according to an ABC News source.
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a statement about the hacks, but did not identify the campaign. However, sources told ABC News that the objectives were the Trump-Vance campaign.
“The U.S. Government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China,” the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement. “After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims.”
In response to the news, the Trump team is attempting to blame Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration, claiming they are “emboldening China and Iran by attacking critical American infrastructure, to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House.”
According to a person familiar with the investigation, this was a broad campaign aimed at officials from both political parties. The investigation has been continuing for some time, and law enforcement has now begun alerting individuals who have been targeted by this cyber attack.
According to a senior administration official, the FBI/CISA joint statement issued Friday was not in response to The New York Times’ reporting. He noted that a public disclosure of unauthorized access to commercial telecom equipment had been planned for several days.