Hacker who goes by the name Johnnie Walker 'breaks into personal Gmail account of State Department intelligence official who is considered a top expert on Russia'

A top intelligence official at the State Department who is considered one of the government's foremost experts on Russia has been hacked, it was reported on Friday.

The breach was announced Tuesday in a group email that was sent by a hacker who goes by the name 'Johnnie Walker', according to Foreign Policy.

The hacker claims to have obtained a large trove of emails from the private Gmail account of the State Department officer.

'The US State Department officer's email has been hacked,' according to the email sent by Johnnie Walker.

The hacked material is said to include exchanges between the officer and 'CIA officers and other intelligence agencies, mainstream media, NGOs, and international funds' that would 'give you evidence of who is responsible for agenda formation in many countries worldwide, especially where the situation is insecure.'

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'The Department of State is well aware that malicious actors often target email accounts of government and business leaders across the United States. As a matter of policy, we do not discuss specific attempts or incidents,' a State Department spokesman said.

The officer's extensive knowledge and background relating to Russia makes him a prime target, according to one person who corresponded with him in one of the hacked emails.

'He's probably the top intelligence guy in the entire US government on Russia,' the person said.

'He knows more than anybody about what's going on there.'

The FBI is pursuing at least three separate probes relating to alleged Russian hacking of the US presidential elections, according to five current and former government officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

The FBI's Pittsburgh field office, which runs many cyber security investigations, is trying to identify the people behind breaches of the Democratic National Committee's computer systems, the officials said. 

Those breaches, in 2015 and the first half of 2016, exposed the internal communications of party officials as the Democratic nominating convention got underway and helped undermine support for Hillary Clinton.

The Pittsburgh case has progressed furthest, but Justice Department officials in Washington believe there is not enough clear evidence yet for an indictment.

Meanwhile the bureau’s San Francisco office is trying to identify the people who called themselves 'Guccifer 2' and posted emails stolen from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s account, the sources said. 

Those emails contained details about fundraising by the Clinton Foundation and other topics.

Beyond the two FBI field offices, FBI counterintelligence agents based in Washington are pursuing leads from informants and foreign communications intercepts.

This counterintelligence inquiry includes but is not limited to examination of financial transactions by Russian individuals and companies who are believed to have links to Trump associates. 

The transactions under scrutiny involve investments by Russians in overseas entities that appear to have been undertaken through middlemen and front companies, two people briefed on the probe said.

The people who spoke to Reuters also corroborated reports that Americans with ties to Trump or his campaign had repeated contacts with current and former Russian intelligence officers before the November election. 

Those alleged contacts are among the topics of the FBI counterintelligence investigation.