A potential key adviser in Donald Trump’s second administration may be compromised before he even sets foot in the White House.
In the run-up to election night, Chinese cyber-spies hacked into the main cell phone used by Todd Blanche, the MAGA leader’s primary defense attorney, reported ABC News. Blanche is currently being considered for Trump’s next White House counsel or a senior law enforcement–related role, apparently qualified by his work for Trump on the soon-to-be forty-seventh president’s January 6 criminal case and his Stormy Daniels hush-money conviction.
The extent of the data breach is unclear, but the FBI determined that Blanche’s communications with his family and friends had been compromised, according to unidentified sources that spoke with ABC. Investigators are reportedly still working to assess whether Blanche’s communications with Trump or other sensitive contacts had been affected by the hack.
But regardless of what else was compromised in the digital attack, Blanche’s exposure could still pose a national security risk should the suddenly vulnerable Trump ally continue his path toward the executive branch.
The Chinese hackers, working on behalf of Beijing’s intelligence services, reportedly first broke into Blanche’s phone several months ago, gaining access to his text messages and capturing audio recordings of his phone calls, ABC reported.
The hackers then proceeded to target private companies and individuals via Blanche’s compromised line, according to an FBI statement issued two weeks ago.
“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,” the statement read. “Agencies across the U.S. Government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector.”
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