Kelly's Phone May Have Been Hacked During Transition

White House officials believe President Donald Trump transition office in Washington is the likely site where now-Chief of Staff John Kelly's personal cellphone could have been compromised in late 2016.

News that the administration is pointing to the transition office site came in a report from Politico's White House reporter Josh Dawsey, who attributed the information to two officials, who are familiar with the issue.

According to the report, Kelly's phone stopped working properly in December after he had entered the D.C. office about three blocks from the White House.

"That's where it seems to have started," one White House official told Politico.

Officials have not ruled out other possible locations, including trips Kelly made overseas, but they have seen no evidence to convince them otherwise.

Politico had earlier reported that the technical staff at the White House discovered Kelly's phone had been compromised after learning it wasn't working properly late this summer. He is not in possession of the phone any more.

It is unclear why Kelly kept the phone from December until late this summer before asking for technical support. It is uncertain if any data was accessed.

The White House is looking at banning personal devices from the president's residence at the West Wing, Politico reported. And officials have added secure lockers in the White House to store the devices. However, they say the new rules are unrelated to the incident involving Kelly's phone.

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