Homeland Security Chairman: North Korea Internet Blackout Was Revenge

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, listens as Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, during the committee's hear... House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, listens as Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, during the committee's hearing regarding the growing problem of unaccompanied children crossing the border into the US. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) MORE LESS
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The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), said that the internet blackout in North Korea at the end of 2014 was indeed retaliation for computers at Sony Pictures Entertainment being hacked.

McCaul confirmed at a Washington event on Tuesday that the blackout was in response to the Sony hacking, according to Bloomberg Politics. He did not, however, say who was responsible for the blackout.

The White House declined to comment in response to McCaul, according to Bloomberg.

On December 21, North Korea’s internet was blacked out for ten hours, lasting overnight. The Obama administration had accused North Korea of being behind a hacking attack at Sony Pictures.

The hacking coincided with the upcoming release of the satirical film The Interview, which mostly mocked North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. The hacking affected thousands of computers and resulted in Sony delaying the film.

In January, The Associated Press quoted two U.S. officials saying that the U.S. did not cause the North Korean internet blackout.

McCaul’s confirmation makes him the first U.S. official to publicly state that the blackout was in response to the Sony hack.

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  1. Avatar for vonq vonq says:

    Should we be paying him? He’s lousy at his position.

  2. How would he know? Did one of the right’s militia do it? Or, did he just release secret information? Nothing is beneath these traitors.

  3. Is this leak prosecutable or should he have emailed?

  4. I’m guessing he blabbed something he shouldn’t have, national security briefings and whatnot. Consequences?

  5. “Retaliation” is not a synonym for “revenge.” And, yes, idiot wingnut is blabbing shit he shouldn’t be blabbing the way idiot wingnuts always seem to do as soon as they get elected by pretending to be all about national security and come into contact with classified information.

    Like the time Orin Hatch blabbed about us listening in on Osama’s phone calls. Or that time the Bush Administration’s bragging about how they killed a “high value target” burned a source.

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