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Burnham and the impostor
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate, POLITICO reported based on four officials.
““We do not comment on national security matters.””
Downing Street declined to comment on the security breach, and POLITICO said “We do not comment on national security matters.”
The British embassy in Washington was so concerned that it raised the incident with the White House, according to POLITICO and the BBC.
POLITICO also said one person briefed on the communications described a “few messages” being exchanged after Burnham entered No. 10, while the BBC said it was understood there was no conversation between Burnham and the impostor.
Embassy concern and FBI
The Telegraph reported that Burnham’s exchanges with a Susie Wiles impersonator prompted British embassy officials to raise concerns with the White House.
POLITICO said Downing Street feared that Wiles’ phone had been hacked again, and it noted that the White House declined to comment.
The BBC previously reported an FBI probe into Wiles’ phone being hacked in May last year, and it said Wiles told associates her personal phone had been hacked after an impersonator used her contacts file.
The BBC also quoted Wiles as saying her phone had been hacked, and it described recipients including US senators, governors and top business executives.
What’s at stake next
The incident is being treated as part of a broader pattern of impersonation and cyber risk, with POLITICO describing a prior White House and FBI investigation after senators, governors and U.S. business executives received texts and phone calls from someone claiming to be Trump’s chief of staff.
“what was discussed in the exchange with Burnham — and when the messages were sent — is unclear”
POLITICO said what was discussed in the exchange with Burnham—and when the messages were sent—was unclear, with the erroneous contact kept a closely-guarded secret.
The BBC said the recipients of the earlier Wiles hack included US senators, governors and top business executives, and it described Wiles as a key Trump ally targeted by a cyber espionage unit associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 2024.
In parallel, the BBC said the Foreign Office confirmed then-foreign secretary David Cameron had fallen victim to a hoax call from someone pretending to be former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and it said the FCDO released details publicly over fears it could be “manipulated.”
