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President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick, Kash Patel, was informed by the agency he’ll soon lead that he’d been targeted by Iranian hackers, sources familiar with the situation revealed to CNN.
Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.
While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.
“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 told the network.
The hack targeting Patel isn’t an isolated case. In a string of recent attacks on Trump’s allies, Iranian and Chinese actors have reportedly ramped up efforts to infiltrate the communications of those close to the President-elect.
Last month, the FBI informed Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney and nominee for deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers had tapped his cellphone, sources confirmed. Iran, meanwhile, was accused of targeting members of Trump’s inner circle and presidential campaign.
