Michelle Obama’s passport, White House planning materials leaked

Hackers appear to have leaked the email files of a White House staffer working on Hillary Clinton’s Democratic presidential campaign, releasing a copy of first lady Michelle Obama’s passport and other internal documents.

The website DC Leaks, which is believed to have ties to Russia, on Thursday morning revealed a cache of emails that appears to have been stolen from the account of a White House official.

The emails from the Gmail account of Ian Mellul, which date from February 2015 through July of this year, contain a mix of internal chit-chat, planning logistics and other materials from both the White House and Clinton campaign.

The website posted an image of what appeared to be the first lady’s personal passport on Twitter.

Check Ian Mellul’s private correspondence for more interesting stuff: https://t.co/JUyOgOytF5 #DCLeaks pic.twitter.com/IlKorsSAeM

— DC Leaks (@DCleaks_) September 22, 2016

White House press secretary Josh Earnest could not confirm whether the hack is genuine but said the White House is looking into it.

“We take any reports about a cyber breach seriously, particularly if it contains some sensitive information.”

“Certainly, this is something we are taking a close look at.”

The Secret Service said it is “aware” of the alleged hacking incident.

“Obviously the Secret Service is concerned any time unauthorized information that might pertain to one of the individuals we protect, or our operations, is allegedly disclosed,” said agency spokesperson Nicole Mainor.   

But Mainor said the Secret Service does not provide information on investigations “as a matter of policy.”

LinkedIn and Twitter accounts for Mellul were deleted on Thursday morning.

DC Leaks claims to have been started by American hackers, though it has been accused of having links to the Russian government.

It has previously released embarrassing emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell, messages from the Democratic National Committee and other government officials.

U.S. officials have suggested that Russia has embarked on a wide-ranging cyber campaign targeting American political figures in order to undermine the legitimacy of the American electoral system.

– Jordan Fabian contributed. Updated at 1:22 p.m.