FBI Informs Trump's Attorney That His Phone Was Tapped by Chinese Hackers - Reports
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The FBI has notified one of the attorneys of US President-elect Donald Trump that his phone has been tapped by Chinese hackers, CNN has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Last week, the bureau notified the attorney, Todd Blanche, that hackers have managed to obtain some voice records and text messages from his phone, the sources said on Thursday, adding that the incident has not directly affected Trump as the obtained materials mostly included the attorney's interactions with his family. Blanche had to switch to a new phone number.
Todd Blanche is the second Trump's attorney to be targeted by foreign hackers. In August, the broadcaster reported that Lindsey Halligan was hacked by an Iranian group.
The New York Times, citing sources, previously reported that Chinese hackers allegedly had access to the phones of Republican candidates. After that, the FBI announced in late October that it was investigating unauthorized access to telecommunications infrastructure by individuals allegedly linked to Beijing.
China says it firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms. Moreover, the Chinese Foreign Ministry once called the US the world's major "hacker empire" and "monitoring nation."
