Burnham Exchanged Messages With Person Posing as Trump’s Chief of Staff
Constantvpn.com – Andy Burnham exchanged messages with person claiming to be Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff under President Donald Trump. The revelation, first surfaced by Politico, prompted Downing Street to confirm that the UK prime minister had sent texts to an individual impersonating Wiles before growing suspicious of the contact’s legitimacy. Officials said only a “few messages” passed between the two parties before the exchange was flagged internally.
What Happened and How It Was Handled
A government spokesperson offered a brief statement: “We do not comment on national security matters.” Sources indicated that the communication took the form of short texts rather than a voice conversation, and that “no messages of significance” were conveyed. Once staff grew wary of the sender’s identity, the texts were “quickly reported to the appropriate authorities.” Downing Street declined to specify when the messages were sent, how many there were, or which platform—WhatsApp or otherwise—carried them.
A White House official told the BBC on Monday that the latest episode “had nothing to do” with the earlier hacking of Wiles’s personal phone. The BBC had previously reported an FBI investigation into that May incident, in which Wiles said an impersonator had exploited her contacts file to reach other senior US officials.
Broader Context of Impersonation Threats
The earlier targeting of Wiles’s device was aimed at her personal phone rather than a government line, yet recipients included US senators, governors, and top business executives. Wiles, a close Trump ally, was also reportedly among those targeted by a cyber-espionage unit linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 2024.
Separately, the UK government is now removing the personal mobile numbers of three cabinet ministers from public websites. The numbers of Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Alex Norris, and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant had all been openly listed. A spokesperson said the government maintains “robust procedures in place to ensure the security of sensitive information.”
In 2024, the Foreign Office confirmed that former prime minister David Cameron had received a hoax call from someone pretending to be ex-Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. Lord Cameron also exchanged a handful of text messages with the imposter. The FCDO released details publicly, citing fears the exchange could otherwise be “manipulated.”
Two additional ministers were targeted in 2022 by an imposter posing as Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace attributed the calls—made via Microsoft Teams—to Russian “dirty tricks.” Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed she had also received them. A Ministry of Defence source described the video call as “fairly sophisticated,” noting it appeared to originate from “another government department,” which lent it added credibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which platform did Burnham use to exchange messages with the imposter? Downing Street has not confirmed whether the texts were sent via WhatsApp or another messaging service.
Was Susie Wiles’s phone involved in this latest incident? A White House official stated the matter had nothing to do with the earlier FBI probe into Wiles’s phone being hacked.
What steps is the UK government taking to prevent similar impersonation attempts? Officials say robust security procedures are already in place, and the government is removing publicly listed personal mobile numbers of cabinet ministers from its websites.
