UK Prime Minister Burnham messaged someone posing as White House chief of staff - report

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an impersonator posing as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to Politico. The British embassy in Washington raised the incident with the White House over concerns that Wiles' phone had been hacked again. The White House denied the incident involved a hack of the chief of staff's devices. Since the incident, the personal phone numbers of at least three UK cabinet ministers have been published online.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham communicated with someone posing as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, exchanging a few messages of no significance before realizing the contact was illegitimate, according to a Politico report citing sources with knowledge of the situation. The British embassy in Washington raised the incident with the White House out of concern that Wiles' phone had been hacked for a second time. The White House told Politico that the incident had nothing to do with the chief of staff's devices being hacked. Last year, an FBI investigation was launched after Wiles' personal phone was hacked, giving an impersonator access to private phone numbers of senators, governors, top US business executives and other figures. Downing Street declined to comment on the incident. The contents and timing of the messages remain unknown. Since the incident, the personal phone numbers of at least three UK cabinet ministers have been published online, according to The Guardian. The names and numbers of UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Alex Norris, and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant were made available online. Streeting's phone number has been removed, with Downing Street officials working to take down the others. Downing Street declined to comment on whether measures had been put in place to prevent another breach.