Federal Investigation into Attempt to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
U.S. federal authorities are investigating an incident in which a perpetrator attempted to impersonate Susie Wiles — the White House Chief of Staff, according to the Wall Street Journal citing informed sources.
Wiles informed colleagues that her personal mobile phone was hacked, allowing the impersonator access to her private contacts. The incident involves only her personal, not government-issued phone.
According to WSJ, in recent weeks senators, governors, and executives of major American companies received calls and messages from a person claiming to be Wiles.
The White House has not yet commented on the situation. FBI Director Chris Wray emphasized that the FBI takes threats to the president, his team, and the administration’s cybersecurity seriously.
This incident is part of a broader information security issue at the White House. Earlier this month, the communication system of former Trump national security adviser was hacked. At the end of last year, the U.S. accused China of a large-scale cyber espionage campaign called “Salt Typhoon” targeting senior officials.
As Wiles is a key figure in the Trump administration, her personal phone is of interest to many foreign intelligence agencies. She has previously been targeted by hacking attempts, including during the 2024 presidential campaign when attackers, believed to be linked to Iran, disseminated her messages among journalists and politicians.