UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating Susie Wiles, US President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, before becoming suspicious that the contact was not genuine, Politico reported citing four officials.
The incident reportedly prompted concern within the British government and was raised with the White House by the British embassy in Washington.
Burnham exchanged messages with fake Wiles
Burnham, who became prime minister on July 20, reportedly communicated with the person posing as Wiles after entering Downing Street.
The person said that “a few messages” were exchanged but described them as being “of no significance.”
The exact content of the communications and when they were sent remain unclear. Officials have kept details of the incident closely guarded.
Downing Street declined to comment, saying: “We do not comment on national security matters.”
British embassy raised concerns with White House
The incident was serious enough for the British embassy in Washington to raise it with the White House, the news outlet stated citing two officials.
There were also concerns within the UK government that Wiles’ cellphone could have been compromised, given that a similar incident involving someone impersonating the White House chief of staff had occurred previously.
However, a White House official denied that Wiles’ devices had been hacked in this case.
“This incident had nothing to do with the Chief of Staff’s devices being hacked,” the official said.
Similar impersonation incident investigated last year
The latest incident echoes a case from last year in which US senators, governors and business executives received text messages and phone calls from someone claiming to be Trump’s chief of staff.
The White House and FBI launched an investigation into that episode.
