An image identified as a scanned copy of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama’s passport was published online today by "DC Leaks," along with personal emails associated with a man identified as a “low-level White House staffer who worked with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.”
That staffer is Ian Mellul.
There's no verification yet that the passport or other leaked content are authentic. U.S. intelligence officials suspect Russia is behind this new "DC Leaks" dump, one in a series of similar recent leaks that targeted U.S. political entities.
The White House on Thursday declined to comment on their validity, but spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration was taking the matter seriously.
"We're aware of those media reports, and it is something we're looking into," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a news conference.
The emails published on Thursday appear to be from a Gmail account belonging to staffer Ian Mellul and largely contain mundane information concerning planning logistics for Clinton campaign events.
The leak is the latest in a set of files targeting U.S. politicians and political insiders to be disclosed by a group calling itself DC Leaks.
Last week the group published personal emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell showing his distaste for Clinton and her Republican rival, Donald Trump. Powell confirmed to Reuters the hacked messages were authentic.
Someone who claims to be involved with the hack has been very chatty today with various news outlets, including the New York Post tabloid:
In an email to The Post, the hacker writes, “The leaked files show the security level of our government. If terrorists hack emails of White House Office staff and get such sensitive information we will see the fall of our country.”
The hacker adds, “We hope you will tell the people about this criminal negligence of White House Office staffers.”
