By Raphael Satter
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A significant breach at a healthcare administrator for members of Congress has potentially exposed the personal data of hundreds of lawmakers and their staff, an official said in a letter circulated on Wednesday.
The letter, sent by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to members of Congress and circulated by reporters on Twitter, said that “at this time, it does not appear that Members of the House of Representatives were the specific targets of the attack.”
The CAO’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
A Twitter account run by the Committee on House Administration said that its chairman, Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil, was aware of the breach and was working with the CAO to ensure that the data of lawmakers, their staff and their families were protected.
Few other details were available.
DC Health Link, the healthcare administrator that the CAO said had been hit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did the FBI.
News of the breach was first reported by a Daily Caller journalist on Twitter.
(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Bill Berkrot)