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The FBI recently told Kash Patel, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the agency, that he was the target of an Iranian hacking operation.

According to a source who spoke to CNN, hackers are believed to have access to at least some of Patel’s emails. Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer released a statement to CNN but did not comment specifically on the hack.

“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer said.

The attack on Trump’s choice for FBI director is the latest attempt by hackers from other countries to get into the inner circle of the new president.

The FBI is said to have told Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, who has been nominated to be deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers got into his cell phone last month. There were claims that the Chinese government planned the hack, but the government has rejected those claims.

Blanche is not the first Trump lawyer to fall victim to foreign hacking attacks. In August, CNN reported that a distinct Iranian hacking operation targeted lawyer Lindsey Halligan.

In the past, Donald Trump Jr. said that the FBI told him that he was one of the Islamic Republic’s “top targets.”

Since Trump ordered a deadly drone strike on top Iranian commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020, Iran has been going after people in Trump’s first term.

In September, the Justice Department charged three Iranian agents with hacking into Trump’s campaign and selling stolen data to major news sites and President Joe Biden’s campaign for reelection. Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post declared their refusal to publish the leaked private information.

Tehran has rejected claims that it tried to meddle in the November 5 U.S. election.

On Saturday, Trump named Patel, a 44-year-old New Yorker and ardent Trump supporter, to succeed Christopher Wray as FBI director.

Patel is starting his confirmation process with a strong foundation, as several Republican senators have already expressed their support, while others are expressing a receptive attitude.

The Allbritton Journalism Institute (NOTUS) reported on Monday night that all GOP Senators appear to be approaching Patel’s approval process with a receptive mind.

Establishment-centered Republicans Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said on Monday that they would be fair during the meetings. This stands in contrast to their opposition to former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during his attorney general nomination a few weeks ago.

“I don’t know his background,” Collins remarked of Patel, per NOTUS. “He is the nominee that I will have to do a lot of work on.”

Murkowski did not rule out supporting Patel in her statement to reporters.

“I’ve said I’m not going to comment about any of these nominees,” Murkowski said. “Because when one has not slept, it’s really not wise to speak.”

While some senators expressed openness toward Patel, others have already endorsed him or made predictions about his confirmation.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) fully supports Patel while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) during an appearance on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday forecasted Patel, “a very strong nominee,” will “be confirmed by the Senate”

Republicans can only lose two senators for a choice before Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) names a replacement for president-elect JD Vance (R-OH). This is because they have a 52-seat majority until Gov. DeWine names a replacement for Vance.

Patel has a strong background. In the past, he was chief of staff at the Pentagon, top adviser to the Director of National Intelligence, and lead lawyer for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).

During Trump’s first term, he was in charge of counterterrorism operations for the White House. He has also worked as a public defender and prosecutor in the past.

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