The Prime Minister’s staff is trying to cover up the major diplomatic embarrassment.
A flawed security environment around the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, led to him exchanging messages with an impersonator posing as US President Donald J. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Four officials have told a Politico report:
“The new PM communicated with someone posing as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate, the officials said.”
“‘We do not comment on national security matters’, Downing Street said. One person briefed on the communications said a ‘few messages’ were exchanged after the PM entered No. 10 but insisted they were ‘of no significance’.”
The British embassy in Washington was concerned enough about the incident to prompt it to discuss it with the White House.
“What was discussed in the exchange with Burnham — and when the messages were sent — is unclear, with the erroneous contact kept a closely-guarded secret.
Burnham became PM on July 20, but it was clear he was on course to succeed Keir Starmer from the moment he won the Makerfield by-election on June 18.”
Hellbound and Down 