As Indiana governor, Pence used private email that was hacked
Vice President Mike Pence used a private email account that was later compromised while serving as governor of Indiana, his office confirmed Thursday.
The existence of the account was first reported by IndyStar, which obtained copies of Pence’s emails through a Freedom of Information request.
The Indianapolis newspaper reported that Pence used the account to conduct government business, including corresponding about potentially sensitive issues.
In one exchange, Pence communicated with his chief of staff and his top homeland security adviser who conveyed an update about terror-related FBI arrests in the state.
In a statement, Pence press secretary Marc Lotter said that his use of a personal and government email account was consistent with previous governors.
“As then-Governor Pence concluded his time in office, he directed outside counsel to review all of his communications to ensure that state-related emails are being transferred and properly archived by the state, in accordance with the law, which outside counsel has done and is continuing to do,” Lotter said. “Government emails involving his state and personal accounts are being archived by the state and are being managed according to Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.”
Pence had used the AOL account since the mid-1990s and continued to use it throughout his time as governor until early 2016, when the account was compromised. Hackers launched a phishing attack against his contact lists, sending an email claiming that Pence and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed financial help.
After the account was hacked, it was shut down and Pence began using a second AOL account, an aide said.
The use of a private email account is not prohibited by law in Indiana. But public officials cannot use state accounts for political business.
Security experts noted to IndyStar that some of Pence’s emails were apparently confidential and sensitive enough that they could not be turned over in response to public records requests.
Pence was a vocal critic of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state and often criticized her for it during the presidential campaign.