Hackers stole $2.3 million from a Wisconsin Republican Party accountthat was being used to help US President, Donald Trump’s re-electionbid in the swing state, the party said in a statement on Thursday.
Reuters reports that the Wisconsin Republicans said that hackers got the money by doctoring invoices sent under the name of the party’s vendors. It said the party noticed the suspicious activity on October 22 and contactedthe FBI on Friday.
There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from the FBI.
“These criminals exhibited a level of familiarity with state party operationsat the end of the campaign to commit this crime,” Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt said in the statement.
Trump won Wisconsin by a small margin in 2016 and it remains a state that could help decide the November 3election, with both the president and Democratic challenger Joe Biden making strenuous efforts to rally supporters there.
Reuters/Ipsos polling from Oct. 20-26 shows Biden with a solid 53% to 44% lead over Trump in the state.
- Reuters