House GOP's election committee reportedly suffered a major email hack


House Republicans have suffered an email debacle of their own.
After a tumultuous 2016 election rocked by email scandals and database hacking, 2018's midterms seemed to breeze by without incident. But now, Republicans are apparently being told about a "major hack" of "sensitive" National Republican Congressional Committee emails that happened earlier this year, senior party officials tell Politico.
Back in April, an NRCC vendor discovered an "outside intruder" had access to email accounts belonging to four "senior aides," Politico reports. The House's campaign committee quickly started an internal investigation and told the FBI about the apparent hack. It then hired a law firm and a public affairs agency "to help respond to the intrusion," Politico writes. The public affairs agency confirmed the NRCC "was the victim of a cyber intrusion" and that the FBI is investigating what happened.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yet all the while, top congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wisc.), reportedly knew nothing about it. Tuesday's revelation is likely to be an added blow to a House GOP that lost a crushing 40 seats during the midterms, especially considering President Trump has claimed without proof that Republicans have "better defenses" than Democrats against hacking.
The NRCC wouldn't reveal further details of the hack, but anonymous officials tell Politico they believe it was a "foreign agent." Donor information was not compromised and any exposed information still hasn't become public, those officials also say. Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’
The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay online
In depth What it is and how to stop it
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies