A self-described U.K. “email prankster” fooled White House officials into thinking he was one of the, pretending to be Jared Kushner and getting a White House cyber security adviser to give up his own private email address, CNN reports.
“Tom, we are arranging a bit of a soirée towards the end of August,” the fake Kushner wrote to the official White House email account of Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert.
“It would be great if you could make it, I promise food of at least comparable [sic] quality to that which we ate in Iraq. Should be a great evening,” the prankster wrote.
Bossert replied: “Thanks, Jared. With a promise like that, I can’t refuse. Also, if you ever need it, my personal email is” (redacted). White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told CNN the issue was being taken “very seriously” and was being looked into.
According to CNN, one exchange may have played a role in the tensions between fired communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.
Masquerading as Priebus, the prankster emailed Scaramucci’s official account using a mail.com account last Saturday — the day after Priebus resignation was announced, CNN reported.
“I had promised myself I would leave my hands mud free, but after reading your tweet today which stated how soon we will learn who in the media who has class, and who hasn’t,’ has pushed me to this. That tweet was breathtakingly hypocritical, even for you. At no stage have you acted in a way that’s even remotely classy, yet you believe that’s the standard by which everyone should behave towards you? General Kelly will do a fine job. I’ll even admit he will do a better job than me. But the way in which that transition has come about has been diabolical. And hurtful. I don’t expect a reply,” wrote fake Priebus.
The real Scaramucci responded: “You know what you did. We all do. Even today. But rest assured we were prepared. A man would apologize”.
Fake Priebus wrote back: “I can’t believe you are questioning my ethics! The so called ‘Mooch’, who can’t even manage his first week in the White House without leaving upset in his wake. I have nothing to apologize for”.
To which Scaramucci responded: “Read Shakespeare. Particularly Othello. You are right there. My family is fine by the way and will thrive. I know what you did. No more replies from me”.
Even Eric Trump was hoodwinked by the prankster emailing as his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., but the younger Trump caught on and responded: “I have sent this to law enforcement who will handle from here,” CNN reported. The email prankster tweets under the name @SINON Reborn.
His other victims have included Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, and Michael Corbat of Citigroup, and Barclays CEO Jes Staley, who was fooled into thinking he was being emailed by Barclays chairman John McFarlane.
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