Trump Blames Tim Walz for Water System Hacks, Despite Likely Iranian Involvement
President Trump, offering no evidence, has blamed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for cyberattacks on the state's water systems, even as federal agencies say Iran is likely responsible.
President Donald Trump has leveled a new unsupported accusation, blaming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for cyberattacks on the state’s water systems rather than foreign hackers. The president offered no evidence for his claim.
The FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have stopped short of officially blaming Iran for the attacks, but investigators broadly agree that Iran is likely behind them. Trump, however, told reporters that he does not think there was an Iranian cyberattack.
His comments came shortly after the FBI warned that cyberattacks on US infrastructure were spreading to other states. In Minnesota alone, at least 30 community water systems were targeted in what appeared to be a coordinated operation.
Earlier this year, CISA linked similar attacks to Iran, a country that has been the target of an intermittent war waged by the US government. With limited military options, Iran has repeatedly turned to digital methods to irritate the Trump administration and wage a PR war.
During his second term, Trump has frequently lashed out at Minnesota and Walz. He even threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act against the state during a surge of ICE enforcement efforts that left multiple people dead.
