Hackers allegedly leak First Lady's passport and White House emails
Michelle Obama's leaked passport looks fake.
The hacking group that was able to get a hold of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's emails earlier this month is back with a new breach: Emails from a White House staffer Ian Mellul. The newly released messages include planning, travel information and the usual inter-office banter. Only one problem, the alleged passport of the First Lady looks fake.
The DCLeaks hacking group is behind the breach of the staffer's emails. It posted correspondences between Mellul, other White House officials and the Clinton campaign from February 2015 until July 2016. A photo of Michelle Obama's passport along with a link to the emails was posted to Twitter.
The hacking group is believed to be based in Russia and is suspected of being responsible for leaking DNC emails to Wikileaks. The White House has yet to comment on the validity of the emails. But the passport the hacking group released looks fake.
Upon inspection, the left side of the photo does't have the drop in opacity that usual passports have. The portrait of the First Lady's head is too large per State Department guidelines. And finally, passports expire after 10 years not five. Of course there may be differences between civilian passports and that of the First Lady that we're unaware of. But right now, it looks like a bad photoshop job.
