Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, targeted by Iranian hackers: Report

Kash Patel, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was recently informed by the FBI that he had been targeted by Iranian hackers, sources told CNN. Hackers are believed to have accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to the report.

The FBI notified Patel and Trump’s team of the cyberattack. The Trump transition team didn’t directly confirm or address the incident, reported the Washington Post.

“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,” Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement.

In Trump’s potential second-term cabinet, Kash Patel would replace Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Donald Trump in 2017 but quickly fell out of favour with the president and his allies.

Kash Patel’s case is not an isolated one. In recent months, members of Trump’s inner circle have also been targeted by foreign hackers, including Iranian hackers.

For instance, Donald Trump Jr has been informed by the FBI that he was “one of the top targets” of Iran.

Attorney Lindsey Halligan was also targeted as part of a separate Iranian hacking effort in August.

Similarly, the FBI also informed Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s lead attorneys and now his pick to be deputy attorney general, that his cellphone was tapped by Chinese hackers last month.

However, China denied the allegations of hacking.

For several years, Iran has been targeting members of Trump’s first administration for years and, more recently, shared information stolen from Trump’s presidential campaign with individuals linked to President Joe Biden’s campaign, according to CNN.

In June, Iranian hackers accessed the email account of Trump ally Roger Stone, an American lobbyist and political consultant, and used it to try hacking into a senior Trump campaign official’s email, investigators said.

However, Iran’s government has denied US accusations of meddling in the November 5 election, where Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris lost.

Donald Trump, who won the election, is set to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025.

WHO IS KASH PATEL?

Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, 44, is the son of Indian immigrants and has had a diverse career in law and national security. He started his career as a public defender.

He later transitioned to the Department of Justice (DOJ) where he worked as a terrorism prosecutor, leading investigations and overseeing the prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Patel gained attention in 2018 as an aide to Representative Devin Nunes, helping draft a memo that accused the FBI of misusing surveillance laws in its investigation of Trump campaign advisers during the 2016 election.

Patel’s career trajectory took him to roles on Trump’s National Security Council in 2019 and later as chief of staff to the acting defence secretary during the final months of Trump’s presidency.