Also buried in the massive cache was a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020, including at least three members of Trump’s Cabinet, a few Republican governors and numerous Trump allies.
While the spreadsheet with the numbers was taken down Wednesday, the high-profile nature of the people whose data was exposed probably puts them at an “elevated risk” because the information would be especially useful to intelligence agencies, said James Lee, chief operating officer of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that advises victims of identity crimes and compromises.
Lee recommended that people listed follow common tips for victims of identity crimes, including freezing their credit, using a multi-factor authentication app for their online accounts and setting up credit and account monitoring.
Exposed individuals don’t appear to have been notified about the leak. The Government Publishing Office (GPO), which originally published the file, did not respond to a request for comment on whether it planned to notify people whose Social Security numbers were exposed.
“To my knowledge, we were not notified. The governor was not notified,” said Ian Fury, a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R).
Social Security numbers were listed along Kristi Noem’s name, along with her husband and three children.
“My lawyers have asked the @WhiteHouse, the @USNatArchives, and @BennieGThompson which of them is responsible for leaking the Social Security Numbers of me, my husband, my 3 kids, and my son-in-law,” Noem tweeted.
“What specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect our identities?”
Noem attached a letter to her tweet.
Former housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson told The Washington Post: “Whether it was a careless and sloppy handling of records or a deliberate disregard of decorum, either scenario is a perfunctory and callous display of government and a frightening reminder of the current state in Washington.”
“President Reagan was a savant indeed — the nine most frightening words to hear are ‘I am from the government and here to help,’” he added.
Carson’s name was also listed in the spreadsheet alongside a Social Security number.
The Daily Wire added:
The committee said that all information released to the public was first reviewed for sensitive personal information and that any release of sensitive information such as Social Security numbers was a mistake.
The January 6 Committee, which was stacked with Democratic lawmakers and included two former GOP lawmakers, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, investigated the January 6 riot at the Capitol with an emphasis on former President Donald Trump’s role in the chaotic event. On December 19, at its last public hearing, the committee voted to recommend the Department of Justice charge the former president over the riot.
Trump “lost the 2020 election and knew it, but he choose to try and stay in office through a multi-part scheme to overturn the results and block the transfer of power,” committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said. “In the end, he summoned a mob to Washington and, knowing they were armed and angry, pointed them to the Capitol and told them to ‘fight like hell.’ There’s no doubt about this.”
The committee voted to recommend Trump be charged with obstructing an official proceeding, conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to make false statements to the federal government, and inciting an insurrection.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!