U.S Capitol Police on Wednesday arrested a suspect for “doxing” multiple US senators. The personal information of three Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans namely, Orrin Hatch, Mike Lee, and Lindsey Graham's were reportedly modified on their Wikipedia pages.
The suspect, 27-year old Jackson Cosko of Washington, D.C., reportedly modified information such as the Senators’ home addresses and personal phone numbers. The incident reportedly took place during the Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The controversial hearing was called for by the US Senate after multiple women accused Kavanaugh of sexual harassment and abuse.
The malicious modifications were first reported by a bot that documents changes made to Wikipedia. The changes appeared to have been made on September 27th at around 9 PM by someone using the IP address 143.231.249.130.
However, all the changes made were later removed. It was later discovered that the IP address used by the suspect was linked to a computer on Capitol Hill on the House of Representatives side.
According to a press release by U.S Capitol police, the suspect has been charged with publicizing restricted personal information, witness tampering, second-degree burglary, threatening interstate communications, unauthorized use of a government computer, identity theft, and unlawful entry.
The charges on the suspect are yet to be confirmed officially. The Capitol Police has yet to reveal any additional details relating to the incident.
Other reports also hinted of rumors about the IP address behind the malicious edits likely belonging to the office of Rep. Maxine Waters. However, the California congresswomen later clarified that the IP address did not belong to her or any of her staffers.
Cosko previously worked for Democratic senators Maggie Hassan and Barbara Boxer, both of whom are now retired. However, at the time of the incident, Cosko has been working as an intern in the office of Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Politico reported. However, following his arrest, Cosko was fired.
Meanwhile, Cosko remains in custody. The Capitol Police said that it will continue investigating the event and may bring forward additional charges.
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