Trump baselessly blames Minnesota for cyberattack on its own water systems, dismisses Iran role

Trump Baselessly Blames Minnesota for Cyberattack on Its Own Water Systems

President Donald Trump on Friday made unfounded claims that Minnesota was responsible for a cyberattack on its own municipal water systems, dismissing federal and state officials' assessments that Iranian hackers were likely behind the incident.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump rejected concerns about the cyberattack.

"I don't think so. I think I blame it on Minnesota, because they're grossly incompetent," Trump said.

"I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota," Trump continued, referring to Governor Tim Walz. "They like to say, 'Oh, it's Iran!' Iran should be so lucky. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."

Trump offered no evidence to support his claim.

Federal and state officials said earlier this week that the cyberattack was probably the work of Iranian hackers, though they have not definitively determined who is responsible. Officials also cautioned that the hackers could be posing as Iranians to escalate tensions between the two countries, though former intelligence officials said this was unlikely.

As reporters prepared to leave the Cabinet meeting, Trump resumed his criticism of Minnesota.

"I think that Minnesota is behind it!" he declared.

"You know who's behind it? Minnesota. Because they're grossly incompetent. I think the governor's behind it. I don't think there was an Iranian cyberattack," Trump continued. "I think that Minnesota ought to get its act together. It's one of the worst-run states."

The president teased that his administration was planning "massive future things having to do with corruption" in Minnesota. The Trump administration has continued to pursue fraud allegations against Minnesota officials in what critics describe as a transparent effort to punish Democrats and antagonize immigrants.

Federal Judge Criticizes DOJ in Anthropic Case

A federal judge sharply criticized the Trump administration during a hearing Thursday, noting that Justice Department attorneys had failed to provide evidence "justifying" the Defense Department's decision to classify AI company Anthropic as a national security risk.

The case stems from Donald Trump's order barring federal agencies from using Anthropic's services after the company refused to grant the Pentagon unrestricted use of its AI bot, Claude, for military purposes.

California-based U.S. District Judge Rita Lin had issued a legal notice earlier this week spelling out the questions she would ask the government's attorneys, but the DOJ still failed to impress. Lin remarked at the outset of the hearing that "if anything, it seems like the record in some ways has gotten worse for the government," according to the Law & Crime network.

In May, Lin blasted the government for the "Orwellian" way that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attempted to sever ties with the AI contractor. At the time, the president and Hegseth claimed that Anthropic had gone "WOKE" for arguing that Claude could not safely or reliably be used for "autonomous lethal warfare and mass surveillance of Americans."