Officials Warn Russia May Know More About Ukraine Than House Does Thanks To Donald Trump’s Unsecure Cellphone
U.S. officials reportedly say that they’re worried that Donald Trump is continuing to use a cellphone that may be vulnerable to hacking by Russian intelligence, despite previous warnings. According to a new report from The Washington Post, the president has used a phone to communicate sensitive information to people, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, that doesn’t appear to have been encrypted or protected from foreign surveillance.
As part of the House impeachment investigation of Trump, the House Intelligence Committee released a series of phone records showing calls between numerous unidentified people, in addition to Giuliani, on an unsecured device.
Officials say that they worry the ongoing communications could allow Russia to hack Trump’s communications. It could also mean that Moscow was able to gain insight into the president’s communication with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, which is the focus of the impeachment inquiry. This raises concerns that Russia could use any knowledge they’ve potentially gained to their own benefit.
One former senior aide confirmed that Trump regularly speaks with Giuliani on unsecured lines.
“It happened all the time,” the aide said.
John Sipher, the former deputy chief of Russia operations at the CIA, said that the likelihood that Moscow is tracking Giuliani’s calls — and thus, the president’s — is high, which means that Russian intelligence may know more about the Ukraine conversations than impeachment investigators do at this point.
Giuliani, who is currently in Ukraine right now, and Trump have “given the Russians ammunition they can use in an overt fashion, a covert fashion or in the twisting of information,” Sipher said.
Rudy Giuliani is in Ukraine right now, and he seems to be trying to get more information on how to get Ukraine to interfere in our election. I asked Sen. Warner, what should Americans be thinking about that? This was his response.??
– @Morning_Joe @MSNBC @JoeNBC @morningmika pic.twitter.com/rxr0k4rmwD
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) December 6, 2019
“Congress and investigators have call records that suggest certain things but have no means whatsoever of getting the actual text,” he added. “I guarantee the Russians have the actual information.”
The president was urged by aides to reconsider his communication security, but it appears that he continues to ignore their warnings. Some officials told the Post that many people have attempted to address his habit of using his personal cellphone or unsecured telephone lines, including former Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. Reportedly, when the president found that speaking on official lines meant that White House employees could keep a log of his activity, he switched back to using his cellphone.
“He was totally paranoid that everyone knew who he was talking to,” one insider said.
“It’s absolutely a security issue,” a former aide added.
Trump famously attacked his 2016 rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for using a private email account, which makes his purported use of potentially unsecured communications lines even more surprising.
In addition, Trump has given his private phone number to multiple different world leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
