Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted the cellphones of presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Members of Kamala Harris’ campaign may have also had their lines of communications tampered with, sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
What kind of data was hacked — if any — is unclear. The possible hacks are said to be part of “a broader espionage operation.”
The FBI confirmed it was looking into unauthorized access to electronic devices involving “actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China,” and were working “aggressively to mitigate this threat.”
While foreign governments have long been suspected of interfering with communication devices used by prominent U.S. figures, those concerns are especially significant to investigators as the Nov. 5 presidential election draws closer.
U.S. intelligence reportedly doesn’t believe China has a particular interest in helping Democrats or Republicans in the upcoming race overall. Their focus is reportedly on individual lawmakers with an interest in matters involving China. The New York Times named Schumer as the most prominent Democrat being targeted.
When Russia interfered in the 2016 election, its technological interlopers worked to aid Trump’s campaign as well as that of independent Bernie Sanders and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, according to the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.