Republicans have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanding details about the department being hacked by communist China.
GOP lawmakers are demanding that the Biden administration explain which China-sponsored group was responsible for successfully hacking the Treasury Department in December.
The letter from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. French Hill (R-AR) demanded that Yellen provide Congress with a briefing about communist China’s breach of Treasury Department workstations and their unclassified documents.
“This breach of federal government information is extremely concerning,” the lawmakers’ letter read. “As you know, Treasury maintains some of the most highly sensitive information on U.S. persons throughout government, including tax information, business beneficial ownership, and suspicious activity reports.”
“This information must be vigilantly protected from theft or surveillance by our foreign adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party (‘CCP’), who seek to harm the United States,” the letter continued. “As such, the fact that a CCP-sponsored APT actor was able to access Treasury’s information systems is unacceptable and raises serious questions about the protocols for safeguarding sensitive federal government information from future cybersecurity incidents.”
The Treasury Department waited weeks to comment on the hack, finally releasing a public statement on December 31 despite admitting that it was made aware of the breach on December 8.
Treasury Department Assistant Secretary for Management Aditi Hardikar sent a letter to senators confirming that a Chinese-backed intelligence group had likely been behind the hack, deeming it a “major cyber security incident.”
Hardikar went on to claim that the department believes that China is no longer able to access Treasury Department systems.
Responding to the letter, Scott and Hill demanded that the department brief Congress on the matter by January 10, requesting that the briefing provide more specific information about who is behind the hack and how much information was obtained. The lawmakers also demanded details about any actions that the Treasury Department has taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, communist China has claimed that it had no involvement in the hack, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning deeming the accusation “groundless” and claiming that it lacked evidence.
🚨🇨🇳🇺🇸TREASURY HACK: U.S BLAMES CHINA, BEIJING CRIES “FAKE NEWS”
China dismissed U.S claims that a state-sponsored actor was behind a cyberattack on the Treasury Department.
The breach, which compromised workstations and unclassified documents, occurred through a third-party… https://t.co/zbhs6cIadd pic.twitter.com/mr1xwxBe23
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 31, 2024
