Iran-linked hackers have breached FBI director's personal emails

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/27/politics/iran-linked-hackers-fbi-director-patel

Comments

fmajidMar 27, 2026, 6:18 PM
GMail, like Apple, has specific enhanced security programs available for Politically Exposed Persons:

https://landing.google.com/intl/en_in/advancedprotection/

The fact the Director of the FBI did not avail himself of this just reiterates how incompetent he is, in addition to being corrupt as heck.

kevin_thibedeauMar 27, 2026, 6:31 PM
It's possible it was breached in 2022 and they've held on to it until now.
BetelbuddyMar 27, 2026, 6:45 PM
It would be poetic justice to get the unredacted Epstein files via Iran...
nullable_boolMar 27, 2026, 5:04 PM
Gone are the days of the strong silent type running the roles of high power in the government. He is a real embarrassment and I feel sorry for his mother.
BigTTYGothGFMar 27, 2026, 6:39 PM
> Gone are the days of the strong silent type running the roles of high power in the government

What, like J.Edgar?

snovymgodymMar 27, 2026, 6:01 PM
> I feel sorry for his mother.

In all likelihood his upbringing is what made him this way.

TheGRSMar 27, 2026, 6:23 PM
Gone only because current leadership kicked them all to the curb and told them to get out of Washington. Only loyal talking heads are wanted there now.
paxysMar 27, 2026, 6:09 PM
The strong silent types were all fired for being "woke". We collectively decided that incompetence should be the top qualification for all positions of power, and the results are obvious.
paxysMar 27, 2026, 5:48 PM
I feel like sending phishing emails for penis enlargement pills would take down half the current administration.
penguin_boozeMar 27, 2026, 6:13 PM
I know someone who will be interested in bigger hands--big beautiful hands.
Muhammad523Mar 27, 2026, 6:23 PM
I must say, i'd prefer if my hands remained the same size they are now. I dont want to lose my dexterity. Slightly offtopic
disantlorMar 27, 2026, 6:04 PM
worth a try
mplanchardMar 27, 2026, 4:56 PM
Link if you want to look: https://bsky.app/profile/ddosecrets.org/post/3mi2iokglyn2w
FlamingMoeMar 27, 2026, 5:12 PM
Interesting comment: "if Iran ends up responsible for regime change in the US, i will be overjoyed as i die from irony"
smrtinsertMar 27, 2026, 5:17 PM
Is it legal to download something like this?
Muhammad523Mar 27, 2026, 6:42 PM
I dont know. I think downloading it with Tor would make it almost impossible to find out you downloaded this stuff anyway.
paxysMar 27, 2026, 5:44 PM
Legal or illegal doesn't really matter. If the regime wants to come for you they will.
fluidcruftMar 27, 2026, 6:03 PM
You can't prove you didn't (and the fuzz will produce evidence you did).
7174n6Mar 27, 2026, 4:55 PM
I'm sure it will be embarrassing for him personally, but not a breach of U.S. government systems.

Kudos to CNN for publishing a balanced take on it.

ebiesterMar 27, 2026, 5:16 PM
These are a group that used outside signal chats to discuss war plans. What odds do you have that he didn't use a personal email to avoid future accountability?
SirFattyMar 27, 2026, 5:01 PM
You're assuming that he didn't use personal email for his FBI "work".
7174n6Mar 27, 2026, 5:18 PM
The leak is from 2011-2022. He wasn't in the government then!!!!
awkwardpotatoMar 27, 2026, 5:54 PM
per Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

> In some cases, Patel appears to have sent emails from his former Justice Department email address in 2014 to his Gmail account. TechCrunch found that the emails sent from Patel’s DOJ account also appeared to be authentic.

phononMar 27, 2026, 5:45 PM
Are you kidding? He had extremely sensitive roles as Devin Nunes' House committee aide from 2017–2019 in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, National Security Council aide and deputy director of national intelligence (2019–2020), and then Chief of staff to the secretary of defense (2020–2021).
enointMar 27, 2026, 6:01 PM
I wonder how much of 2021. Two FBI agents reported that he was the bag man for payments to alter Jan 6 cases.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/us/politics/house-weaponi...

HikikomoriMar 27, 2026, 5:53 PM
Maybe something fun about his book. https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Against-King-Kash-Patel/dp/19555...
Muhammad523Mar 27, 2026, 6:46 PM
What a weird looking book. The cover shows Trump as the king, lol Anyways, if i were a parent, i'd certainly try to do everything to prevent my kids (under 10) from getting into politics. Let them live as normal kids should.
BenFranklin100Mar 27, 2026, 6:45 PM
I’m surprised no group has hacked the Epstein files, given the extreme interest.
b8Mar 27, 2026, 5:15 PM
Not surprising as email providers like Yahoo's security are a joke. A former CIA director got his personal emailed pwned as well.
pixl97Mar 27, 2026, 4:53 PM
>“This isn’t an FBI compromise — it’s someone’s personal junk drawer,” he said.

Eh, with how many people in the current administration seem to use out of band channels to communicate very important things who knows what else they located.

ranyumeMar 27, 2026, 5:07 PM
This isn’t a written by a human — it's a AI-accelerated piece.
SpellinatorMar 27, 2026, 5:50 PM
As if this is the first time this has ever happened.

How many former officials used personal accounts about government business?

How many corporate executives communicate business via personal accounts to avoid legal discovery?

How many individuals communicate outside their main email accounts to avoid scrutiny or attribution?

Point is, nobody should feel superior or shocked that such things like this happen. I understand some enjoy the privacy of their perceived enemies being exposed, but IMHO, nobody should be happy about invasion of anyone's privacy.

sirbuttersMar 27, 2026, 4:54 PM
Most incompetent administration in the modern era.
helterskelterMar 27, 2026, 5:05 PM
Think about it this way, this administration is the most competent administraion we've ever had at being incompetent.
Muhammad523Mar 27, 2026, 6:48 PM
I dont know why your comment got grayed out but it made me smile.
griffzhowlMar 27, 2026, 4:51 PM
But just a personal account with materials reportedly from 2011-2022, not an FBI breach
ck2Mar 27, 2026, 5:14 PM
I'm sorry but nothing can ever be more embarrassing for that man who wrote this book to get that job

https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Against-King-Kash-Patel/dp/19555...

What an absolute clown

But far more seriously, imagine the danger he has put this country into by firing so many critical people, some specifically and uniquely for Iran and Middle-East defense

Let's hope we don't get another 9/11 in the next 1000 days because they are completely unprepared and won't ever see it coming, maybe even on purpose

autoexecMar 27, 2026, 5:34 PM
> Let's hope we don't get another 9/11 in the next 1000 days because they are completely unprepared and won't ever see it coming, maybe even on purpose

Why would anyone bother to attack us now? This entire administration has done more to make The US weak and vulnerable than any outside attacker could have hoped to accomplish. They can just sit back and watch rome burn

OarchMar 27, 2026, 5:21 PM
How am I only finding out about this now... my sides
ChrisArchitectMar 27, 2026, 5:13 PM
[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47543167
morkalorkMar 27, 2026, 5:12 PM
No worries. As long as rigorous due diligence was followed when vetting him as a candidate, there will surely be nothing embarrassing or harmful found in his personal emails.
jameskiltonMar 27, 2026, 4:51 PM
But ... but her emails!
LevitzMar 27, 2026, 5:10 PM
I mean, yes? You can give whatever weight you want to the whole thing, but the core issue with Hillary Clinton and the emails was that she was storing material on a private server rather than in official infrastructure.

If Patel didn't do such thing here, the breach should only expose personal stuff, if he did, then it's much more of a problem, but either way this is a really clear example of why concern was raised back at the time.

pugchatMar 27, 2026, 5:21 PM
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4k0hzMar 27, 2026, 5:18 PM
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joe_mambaMar 27, 2026, 4:58 PM
Did they find those non-existent Epstein files?

@vrganj No, the opposite. The Trump admin with Kash Patel, was claiming early on that the Epstein files are a hoax, that he's seen the files personally and there's "nothing there".

@vrganj It makes sense if you know the context.

vrganjMar 27, 2026, 5:01 PM
Is that the latest spin to defend the pedophile class?

I see you updated your comment, but in a way that doesn't make any sense. Of course the pedophiles in the files will say it's a hoax.

bigyabaiMar 27, 2026, 6:30 PM
The DOJ acknowledges that over 100,000 files are still withheld.
dyauspitrMar 27, 2026, 5:06 PM
He absolutely uses his personal email for all sorts of sensitive stuff. I guarantee it. It seems to be a constant with this administration, just a slow decline into incompetence.
akdev1lMar 27, 2026, 5:33 PM
>just a slow decline into incompetence.

Give them some credit, it’s been quite rapid.

chrisweeklyMar 27, 2026, 6:43 PM
when were they anything other than incompetent?
TostinoMar 27, 2026, 5:12 PM
This was an extremely limited leak. Just looked through the zip. I wouldn't doubt he does use his personal email for government purposes, but it's not in here.
knowaveragejoeMar 27, 2026, 5:07 PM
Remember when that was considered an actual issue in 2016? I remember congressional hearings over this.
e2leMar 27, 2026, 5:18 PM
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add-sub-mul-divMar 27, 2026, 5:08 PM
And it's not a coincidence that they're also the ones who shout about "meritocracy" the loudest.