The FBI and White House officials have launched an investigation into the attempted impersonation of Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a report.
An unknown person pretending to be Wiles has called or texted Republican senators and governors, and “prominent” business executives, sources told The Wall Street Journal .
It’s not clear what the impersonator’s goal is.
The caller reportedly sounds like Wiles, and officials believe the impersonator may have used artificial intelligence to imitate Wiles’s voice, sources told the Journal.
One lawmaker told the Journal that a text supposedly from Wiles asked them to compile a list of people for Trump to pardon. Some of the texts appeared straightforward and legitimate, while others have been odd, targets reported.
Some of the language reportedly didn’t sound like Wiles, and the impersonator sometimes asked questions Wiles should have known. In one particularly suspicious request, the impersonator asked a target to transfer cash, according to the Journal.
The calls and texts did not come from Wiles’ phone.
Wiles – one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, who ran his campaign – reportedly recently told associates that her personal phone had been hacked, which may have been the way her impersonator discovered her contacts and their contact information.
Her email was also reportedly hacked last August, supposedly by Iranian agents.
FBI officials have informed the White House they don’t believe a foreign nation is involved in the impersonation operation, sources told the Journal .
“The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,” a White House spokeswoman told the newspaper.
.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=0%2C0%2C178%2C0&w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "Dozens more Epstein photos, texts and documents released ahead of administration’s deadline for all files")
