Fox News' Sean Hannity, who speaks often with President Donald Trump, took a "burner phone" to Singapore during the president's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after some at the network feared Chinese agents could try to bug his phone to gather his communications with the president, according to a BuzzFeed News report.
Fox News acknowledged that it is "standard operating procedure" for the network to "employ secure communication whenever our teams are overseas covering major events," but BuzzFeed noted there is extra concern after reports that the president finds securing his communications to be "too inconvenient."
Hannity and Jeanine Pirro often communicate with Trump, with New York Magazine reporting that Trump and Hannity like to talk often late at night. However Politico reported in May that the president uses a cell phone that is not equipped with features that would shield his communications.
This has resulted with some at Fox News to be concerned about being exposed to hackers while they are speaking with Trump, people familiar with the issue told BuzzFeed.
Fox sources also reported caution when talking to Hannity, saying they can't be sure who is listening.
Hannity was among several hosts that interviewed Trump after his meeting with Kim, but CNN pointed out that the president's interview with ABC marked the first time a major network other than Fox News has had a one-on-one interview with Trump in more than a year.
Former U.S. Cyber Command tactician Ryan Duff said Hannity's precautions were a good idea, as his phone has been likely targeted.
"As far as someone physically getting his phone and either doing something to it or dumping the data off, the Chinese would be most likely to do that in China," said Duff.