CNN's Pamela Brown Says Trump Is Using His Potentially Unsecured Cell Phone to Circumvent His Aides
President Donald Trump has recently been using his personal cell phone more frequently to contact people he trusts and to keep White House staffers out of the loop, according to CNN reporter Pamela Brown. This method of communication not only shows a breakdown in process at the White House but a potential security risk for the president's private communications.
"The president is increasingly relying on using his personal cell phone to communicate with outside advisers, according to sources," Brown said Monday afternoon. "We have learned from one White House official I spoke with that he is using it more frequently and more recently. And this is also seen as a way for the president to get around his own chief of staff."
When John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, came on board, many believed he would impose order and discipline on the president's information flow. This report suggests that those efforts, though perhaps initially successful, have failed.
"The fact that the president is using a personal cell phone does raise concerns about security vulnerabilities," Brown said, noting that foreign governments would love to spy on the president's private conversations. Though the White House has the capability to make sure personal devices are secure, Brown said it was not clear if those measures had been followed in the case of Trump's cell phone. Previous reports found that Trump had been using an unsecured phone while in office.
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President Trump is increasingly relying on his personal cell phone to contact outside advisers, multiple sources inside and outside the White House tell CNN https://t.co/HAWhhA60AL pic.twitter.com/6pRDBMxeKU
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 23, 2018