You might remember that during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, while Republican senators like Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch were asking questions, an intern from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was posting their personal information, like home phone numbers and addresses, on Wikipedia, and even threatened to post their children’s health information if a witness told on him.
The perpetrator was 27-year-old Jackson Cosko — a cybersecurity graduate student.
Bet this boy had a serious Come-to-Jesus moment sometime in his few hours in county lockup or DC jail or wherever he went pic.twitter.com/fbon5rgt0l
— Chris Bieszad (@ChrisBieszad) October 3, 2018
Where did he end up? Prison.
'Self-Righteous:' Dem Staffer Headed To Prison Today As Prosecutors Look To Make Example Of Him For Politically-Motivated Crimes Against Republicanshttps://t.co/Vt3akCzp4V
Jackson Cosko committed the largest data theft in Senate history + 'doxxed' R's during Kavanaugh hearing.
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
The Daily Caller’s Luke Rosiak reports:
Even after Cosko was arrested and a computer was quarantined, Capitol Police and Senate employees did not realize that keylogger devices were plugged in to many of the office’s computers, according to prosecutors. The devices continued to beam every keystroke — including passwords to personal and business accounts — over a WiFi signal that could be accessed from the public hallway.
The Senate later realized that it was still being spied on only because Cosko informed government agents of the devices, the memo says. Police still have been unable to detect the devices’s WiFi signals, making it impossible to rule out that they aren’t plugged in elsewhere in Congress.
Prosecutors are asking for 5 years in prison, citing the need to create a deterrent to the increasingly common attacks on politicians.
One of Cosko's victims was @RandPaul , who was previously beat up in his yard, shot at at a baseball game, and then "doxxed" for his comments.
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
Feds: “belief that he was entitled to inflict emotional distress upon United States Senators, simply because they disagreed with the defendant and had different political views. The government believes that there appears to have been an increase in similar criminal harassment.”
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
Prosecutors described an unparalleled effort to ransack a Senate office, extorting a Democratic senator, illegally harming Republicans for their political views, and blackmailing a witness.
Cosko also paid an accomplice within @SenatorHassan's office, who is still uncharged.
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
Cosko was a convicted felon when Sen. Hassan hired him as IT guy, giving him full access to all her data. Then she fired him, and he hacked her to try to extort a positive job reference.
Little did he know @JacksonLeeTX18 — testifying now in Congress — wouldn't ask for one.
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
Jackson Lee hired him despite him being a convicted felon who had just been fired. From there, he used his House computer network access, and the data he had stolen from the Senate, to threaten Republicans and blackmail Dem witnesses.
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) June 19, 2019
It's about time we started to see some accountability for this type of crime.
— Kellyanne (@Palepeople) June 19, 2019
Finally. Somebody is held accountable.
— Squee LaBooffffff (@labooffffff) June 19, 2019
“The former aide, Jackson Cosko, pleaded guilty in April to crimes related to an unparalleled effort to ransack a Senate office, extorting a Democratic senator, illegally harming Republicans for their political views, and blackmailing a witness.”
Watergate redux 2018 by the Dems
— Mike Novak (@manovark) June 19, 2019
5 years is nothing. More
— Michael Frontera (@mikefronteranyc) June 20, 2019
5 years? Seems very light. How about 20 to 50.
— Mike (@Rhiker1) June 19, 2019
They only make an example of this small fry because they have no intention of going after the top brass that instructed them to commit these and other crimes.
— Kurtis R Morin (@kurtisrmorin) June 19, 2019
Dems have always played by a different set of rules. Until we see more punished this way it will continue.
— Mr G (@ShayneSmith10) June 19, 2019
Bye Felicia, pic.twitter.com/3KUDWWBU3k
— Phil G (@philshouse57) June 19, 2019
He'll be popular in the joint.
— RonaldThe2nd (@Ronald47260193) June 19, 2019
Related:
Man arrested for doxxing GOP senators was an intern in Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s office https://t.co/E2BZCfbZXX
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 4, 2018
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