Suspect in Congressional Doxxing Cases Arrested
McConnell, Graham, Hatch and Lee had personal information posted online
Capitol Police have arrested a suspect in the doxxing of senators and releasing personal information onto the internet.
Jackson A. Cosko, 27, of Washington, D.C., was charged Wednesday with “making public restricted personal information,” witness tampering, unauthorized access of a government computer, identity theft, second degree burglery, unlawful entry and threats in interstate communications.
Cosko is in police custody pending his first appearance, which is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Bill Miller.
The Capitol Police investigation is ongoing, and Cosko could face additional charges, according to USCP spokesperson Eva Malecki. The case is being prosecuted by the Cyber Crime National Security Sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Cosko was recently an unpaid intern for Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee. He no longer works there and the office is “cooperating with law enforcement.”
He previously worked for Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and California’s Barbara Boxer, who has since retired. Cosko was most recently listed in the Senate directory phone book as Hassan’s “legislative correspondent/systems administrator.” His LinkedIn profile says he left Hassan’s office in May 2018.
On Monday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home addresses in Kentucky and Washington D.C. were added to his public Wikipedia page.
During last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, the personal home addresses, home phone numbers, cellphone numbers and email addresses of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Orrin G. Hatch and Mike Lee of Utah, were added to the public Wikipedia pages from what appeared to be an IP address connected to the Capitol.
This info was picked up by the @congressedits Twitter account, which automatically broadcasted it to thousands of followers. Twitter suspended that account this week. Posting personal information “is considered one of the most serious violations of the Twitter Rules,” according to Twitter’s website.
