Trump attorney was targeted by hackers, sources say

Originally Published: 20 AUG 24 16:20 ET

By Kaitlan Collins, Evan Perez and Sean Lyngaas, CNN

(CNN) — One of Donald Trump’s attorneys was targeted in a hacking attempt, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, marking a potentially serious new development as American intelligence agencies confirmed Monday that they have concluded Iran is behind a recent hack into the former president’s 2024 campaign.

One source told CNN that Lindsey Halligan was targeted as part of the Iranian hacking effort, though the timing of the attempt and the extent of any breach of her devices or accounts remains unclear as the FBI continues to conduct a high-stakes investigation months out from the presidential election.

CNN has previously reported that suspected Iranian hackers breached the personal email account of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, and then used his email account to access the account of a senior campaign official.

Halligan has been on Trump’s legal team for several years and initially worked closely on the classified documents case. She recently attended the Republican convention and sat in the front row of the VIP box on the final night when Trump delivered his speech.

While she is not as public-facing as other attorneys, Halligan is seen internally as a “Trump whisperer,” one of her former colleagues told CNN. Trump trusts her and often wanted her at the table for big moments. Others would often turn to her to communicate messages back to him.

She has also previously attended high-level meetings at the Justice Department with other members of his legal team.

“These reports of the attempted hacking of President Trump’s team by the terrorist regime in Iran come after recent disclosures of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump around the same time as the Butler, PA tragedy. The Iranians are petrified that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House. Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to CNN.

The FBI declined to comment.

On Monday, the FBI and other US intelligence agencies confirmed that the US government had concluded the Iranian government is behind the hack operation targeting Trump’s presidential campaign and had also attempted to target the Biden-Harris campaign.

“The IC is confident that the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties. Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process,” the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement Monday.

Iran’s UN mission on Monday rejected what it called “unsubstantiated” claims that its government was behind the hack.

The Trump campaign has been in touch with the FBI regarding the hack and was recently briefed on the agency’s preliminary findings. But given Trump’s serious distrust of the agency, there have been questions about how closely they have worked together.

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