Trump blames Walz for water hacks experts tie to Iran — SkimNews
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- Trump told reporters "I don't think there was an Iranian cyberattack" and instead accused Governor Tim Walz, offering no evidence for the claim against his frequent political target.
- The FBI, EPA, and CISA have stopped short of officially attributing the intrusions to Iran, though the article notes a consensus that Iran is likely behind them.
- At least 30 community water systems in Minnesota were targeted in what appeared to be a coordinated cyberattack, and the FBI issued a warning that similar intrusions were spreading to other states.
- CISA linked earlier attacks of the same type to Iran, which has limited military options against the US and has repeatedly turned to digital operations as a pressure tactic against the Trump administration.
- Trump has clashed repeatedly with Minnesota and Walz during his second term, including threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act during an ICE enforcement surge in the state that left multiple people dead.
Why it matters: Trump's on-camera dismissal of the Iranian attribution, delivered without evidence, publicly contradicts the FBI's active warning that the intrusions are spreading to other states beyond the 30 Minnesota water systems already hit. State and local water utilities coordinating their cyberdefense with CISA now face a president publicly telling reporters the threat isn't what federal investigators say it is.
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