George H.W. Bush Hacked; Private Photos, Emails of Bush Clan Released
U.S. Secret Service confirmed on Friday that former president George H.W. Bush was among six people in the Bush clan whose confidential emails were hacked and private photos of him were released online yesterday.
Secret Service spokesperson George Ogilvie confirmed that federal investigators are looking into the identity of the person or people responsible.
"We are investigating the incident," Ogilvie said in a statement quoted by ABC News.
The hacker, who is identified only as "Guccifer," was able to compromise emails sent between 2009 and 2012, telephone numbers and home addresses for dozens of Bush family members including both former presidents, according to The Smoking Gun.
The other emails that were hacked included Dorothy Bush Koch who is George W. Bush's sister. Other Bush family members and friends that had comprised correspondence includes: Willard Heminway, an old friend of the 41st president; CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, a longtime Bush family friend; former first lady Barbara Bush's brother; and George H.W. Bush's sister-in-law.
The hacker also seized several photographs, including at least one taken of the 88-year-old Bush senior while he was in the care of the Houston hospital. He stayed at the hospital from November to January for treatment of a severe cough which doctors feared might have turned into a devastating pneumonia.
The hacker also acquired photographs sent by former President George W. Bush to his sister that included paintings he had been working on which included self-portraits, according to Time Magazine.
There was also a potential for a security breach as the home address for Bush senior with the code to get past the security gate was released by the hacker.
In an exchange of emails with the website, the hacker said federal agents began investigating him a "long time ago," the Smoking Gun reported.
