US federal authorities are investigating an effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report said Wiles had told associates that some of her cellphone contacts had been hacked, allowing the impersonator to access private phone numbers.
The incident affected her personal phone, not her government phone, the report said.
The Journal reported that in recent weeks, senators, governors, top US business executives and other figures received messages and calls from a person who claimed to be Wiles, citing the people familiar with the messages.
The White House and FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The White House has struggled with information security. A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broad swathe of American officials, Reuters reported recently.
And late last year, a White House official said the US believed that an alleged sweeping Chinese cyber espionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon targeted and recorded telephone calls of “very senior” American political figures.
As Wiles is a key Trump lieutenant and a lynchpin of the White House’s operation, the content of her personal phone would be of extraordinary interest to a range of foreign intelligence agencies and other hostile actors.
Wiles has reportedly been targeted by hackers at least once before, in the final months of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. At the time, hackers alleged by US authorities to be acting on behalf of Iran approached journalists and a political operative with a variety of messages sent to and from Wiles, some of which were eventually published.
US probes effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff, WSJ reports
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US probes effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff, WSJ reports
China acts against 40 Japanese entities over military ties
BEIJING: China’s commerce ministry took action against 40 Japanese companies and entities on Tuesday, citing national security concerns over their military ties.
It imposed export controls on 20 entities, including Mitsubishi and the Japanese space agency, accusing them of helping to enhance Japan’s military capabilities.
The ministry added a further 20 Japanese entities, including Subaru, to a “watch list” requiring stricter reviews of exports of “dual-use items.”
“The above measures are aimed at curbing Japans’ ‘remilitarization’ and nuclear ambitions and are completely legitimate, reasonable and lawful,” a commerce ministry statement said.
“China’s lawful listing actions target only a small number of Japanese entities, relevant measures target dual-use items and do not impact normal economic and trade between China and Japan,” it said, adding that “honest and law-abiding Japanese entities have nothing to worry about.”
Companies can apply to be removed from the “watch list” if they cooperate with Beijing’s verification terms.
China has ramped up pressure on its neighbor since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo may react militarily to an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to seize control of by force if necessary.
Last month, Beijing announced a broad ban on the export of “dual-use” goods with potential military applications.
China has since begun restricting exports to Japanese companies of scarce and expensive “heavy” rare earths, as well as the powerful magnets containing them, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two exporters in China.
