Nearly three months after the Government Publishing Office “inadvertently” revealed 1,900 Social Security numbers from a House Jan. 6 inquisition report, letters alerting those impacted are just showing up.
“We are sorry that this data breach occurred and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or concern this may cause,” said a just-received March 24 GPO letter shown to Secrets.
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At issue was the release of Social Security numbers of 1,900 people who visited the Trump White House on Dec. 14, 2020, most likely for holiday parties and meetings. Also, on that day, the Electoral College confirmed President Joe Biden’s victory.
The list was described as “supporting materials” for the final report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
The GPO put the unredacted pages of Social Security numbers of former President Donald Trump’s friends, allies, advisers, and aides who went to the White House on Dec. 14, 2020, online for two days last January before being alerted to the problem and taking them down.
The information was public from Jan. 2-Jan. 4.
The GPO said it was a simple mistake, but one Trump supporter called that excuse “crap.”
One of the White House visitors added, “The GPO absolutely does not share in our concerns and frustration since none of their personal information was published. If they had true concern they wouldn’t have waited so long to notify people.”
This week, the GPO’s inspector general released a report on the breach. Included was a letter from GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern, who called the flub a “perfect storm” of problems.
“When combined with the Select Committee’s unique requirements and the issues surrounding the change from the 117th Congress to the 118th Congress, it was, as the draft report correctly describes, a perfect storm,’” he wrote.
The GPO has offered to help the 1,900 with any negative impact of having their sensitive data published.
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In the GPO’s letter to the 1,900, Halpern wrote, “I share your concern and frustration that this situation occurred and want you to know we are working diligently to help those impacted.”
He has also set up a link to get further help.
