The FBI recently told Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the bureau’s next director, that he was the target of an Iranian cyberattack, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
The exact timing of the cyberattack is unclear, but it was before Trump named Patel as his choice to be the next head of the FBI, the officials said.
The hackers are believed to have targeted some of Patel’s communications. It’s unclear whether they actually accessed the communications and, if so, how much data was viewed or stolen, the sources said.
The FBI declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose 10-year term doesn’t expire until 2027, would have to resign or be fired for Patel to take over the position, which requires Senate confirmation.
Without specifically acknowledging the alleged cyberattack, Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement, “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.”
Three Iranian operatives were charged in September with hacking Trump’s presidential campaign as part of what the Justice Department said at the time was an effort to undermine the U.S. election.
The three suspects are alleged to have been employed by Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and were accused of stealing emails and documents and sharing them with media outlets.
The FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies also confirmed at the time that Iranian hackers had, unsolicited, sent information they stole from the Trump campaign to people who were affiliated with President Joe Biden’s campaign over the summer; officials say there was no evidence that any of the recipients responded.
