Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) warned during a CBS News interview that the recent hack by China into major U.S. telecom firms represents the most significant breach he’s encountered.
“Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked the Florida senator if he had information that China was able to access “audio of Americans’ phone calls, Rubio said he wouldn’t “comment on what they accessed.”
Though Rubio said he agreed with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner’s (D-VA) assertion that it was one of the “biggest breaches potentially ever.”
“It is an egregious, outrageous and dangerous breach of our telecommunications systems across multiple companies,” he remarked.
“I think as time goes on, we’re going to learn more about it,” Rubio went on. “Some of it will be made public. I think there’s more that’s still being gathered. It’s a very serious situation that we face.”
“And I think one that is quite threatening, maybe not directly to the election per se, but certainly to the national security of our country moving forward,” he noted. “It’s a vulnerability that no one imagined or anticipated, but here it is.”
The Chinese hacking operation, branded “Salt Typhoon,” reportedly aiming at former President Donald Trump, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), along with staffers of Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Reports suggest adversaries breached systems used for court-authorized wiretaps, including those under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—a critical tool for identifying spies and terrorists.
The Biden-Harris administration, caught off guard by the cyber attack, plans to have the Cyber Safety Review Board initiate an investigation “at the appropriate time.”
There is widespread concern that the Chinese obtained lists of U.S. officials’ contacts, potentially facilitating influence operations aimed at swaying decision-makers.
According to The New York Times, the hacking effort tapped into surveillance systems, raising fears of China’s growing espionage ambitions.
In June, Rubio introduced a bill in the Senate aimed at unveiling the corruption within China’s Communist leadership.
Known as the “Confronting CCP Malign Influence Act of 2024,” it mandates the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report detailing the wealth and corrupt acts of Chinese Communist Party leaders.
“Our nation’s greatest adversary is Communist China and the American people must realize the complex reality a new world order, led by Beijing, would pose,” Rubio explained. “Whether it be through economic, social, or military coercion, we are seeing an increased effort from China to displace our nation as the world’s leading power.”
