January 1, GOP Congressman Says Chinese Communist Party Operatives Hacked His Emails

On Tuesday, Nebraska’s Republican Representative, Don Bacon, publicly stated that he was informed by the FBI that his personal and campaign emails had been compromised by operatives connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

This revelation follows earlier reports indicating that suspected hackers from China had successfully infiltrated communications from significant U.S. government offices, namely the State Department and the Commerce Department.

In a statement posted to social media, Rep. Bacon expressed his gratitude to the FBI for its prompt notification:

“I thank the FBI for notifying me that the CCP hacked into my personal and campaign emails from May 15th to June 16th of this year. The CCP hackers exploited a flaw in the Microsoft software. Importantly, this breach wasn’t a result of ‘user error’.”

I thank the FBI for notifying me that the CCP hacked into my personal and campaign emails from May 15th to June 16th of this year. The CCP hackers utilized a vulnerability in the Microsoft software, and this was not due to “user error.” (1/2)

— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸 (@RepDonBacon) August 14, 2023

Expanding on the broader implications of the cyberattack, he highlighted, “Other individuals and entities were also targets in this extensive cyber operation. The actions of the Communist government in China further underscore that they are not our allies and are actively engaged in cyber espionage.”

Thus, there were other victims in this cyber operation. The Communist government in China are not our friends and are very active in conducting cyber espionage. I’ll work overtime to ensure Taiwan gets every $ of the $19B in weapons backlog they’ve ordered, and more. (2/2)

— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸 (@RepDonBacon) August 14, 2023

“I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure Taiwan receives every dollar of the $19 billion worth of weapons they’ve ordered – and even beyond,” he added.

Rep. Bacon, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal advocate for ramping up U.S. military support to Taiwan.

He believes that bolstering Taiwan’s defense capabilities is critical in deterring potential hostilities from China.

The cyberattacks on U.S. federal agencies came to light in June and were publicly disclosed the following month.

Responding to the situation, a spokesperson for the Commerce Department stated, “Following a warning from Microsoft about a potential breach in the Office 365 system, our department reacted immediately. We remain vigilant, monitoring our systems closely, and will act decisively should any additional suspicious activities be detected.”

Unfortunately, these cyber breaches were not limited in scope.

High-profile communications, including those of the U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burn, and the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, were also compromised due to the hacking activities.

The growing cyber threat from foreign adversaries was previously highlighted by the White House in March.

A released framework emphasized the urgency for enhanced cybersecurity, pinpointing China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran as nations aggressively advancing their cyberwarfare capabilities.

This framework specifically labeled China as “the broadest, most active, and most persistent threat” to both governmental and private sector networks. It further noted that China uniquely possesses “both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so.”

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