Controversy on ‘LNC Computer Breach’ Article [Now with Addenda]

We had previously posted an article on the reported LNC Computer Breach.  That article has now led to a comment with a letter from attorneys that was forwarded to us, as well as to a series of letters on which your Editor was copied.  We quote from these letters:

The recent comment on the data reach issue has led to several responses from people directly involved in the matter. We are presenting these as a fresh article.

From Caryn Ann Harlos

The purported letter from Octillo is published on Third Party Watch and contains absolutely false information about me. I am forwarding the one and only communication I had from Octillo, and no attestation was ever requested nor refused. I would absolutely attest to what I wrote them above.

Addendum: Harlo’s Actual Correspondence:

On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 7:47 AM Hamzah Siddiqui wrote:

Hello Caryn,
We are legal counsel for Libertarian National Committee, Inc. and are contacting you in response to posts of yours, made on X, formerly Twitter, and the source of information upon which your posts were based. Specifically, we need to discuss whether you are in unauthorized possession of data or know of others who are in unauthorized possession of data that informed your post. We would like to speak at 3pm ET on Monday, March 30th, please confirm your availability or share other times, and consult legal counsel as you see fit.
Thank you,
Hamzah

on Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 8:18 AM Caryn Ann Harlos responded:
I have no confidential data of the LNC and would refuse receipt of any if offered.

 

From John Ponty, Liberty Sentries:

Hello Mr. Nekhaila,
I have been made aware of the executive summary sent by Octillo Law PLLC to the Libertarian National Committee. I am writing to confirm with you that Octillo Law did not attempt to obtain a attestation from me, and their only written communication has been to “discuss whether you are in unauthorized possession of data or know of others who are in unauthorized possession of data that informed your post,” with no actual document of attestation sent to me in order to sign.
I had informed Octillo Law that I would not meet with them on March 31st at 3 PM ET, and that I would only communicate with them via email in order to maintain a written record of these requests. I also made the following statement to them regarding their request:
“I will be clear here: I am not in unauthorized possession of data, nor do I know, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the personal details of anyone with unauthorized possession of data.”
I do not believe Octillo Law has been honest with the Libertarian National Committee regarding their actions, and I do not believe they have taken the required steps to fulfill its obligations to the Libertarian National Committee. I hope to hear an explanation from you soon regarding this issue.
Have a good day,
John Ponty, Liberty Sentries

Of further note: After my statement to them, Octillo Law PLLC never attempted to communicate with me again, either to attain an attestation from me or to ask any questions or discuss any pertinent issues regarding their investigation. In my opinion, they seem to have done the bare minimum necessary, rather than try to attain the truth of the matter, and have done a disservice to the National Committee in that regards.
Have a good day,
John Ponty, Liberty Sentries

And also from John Ponty, Liberty Sentries
Hello Dr. Phillies,
In response to this comment’s purported content on your article regarding the data breach, find here an email thread between me and Hamzah Siddiqui, representing Octillo Law PLLC as the LNC’s legal counsel, wherein, unlike the claims made by Octillo Law, they did not request any attestation from me, instead simply requesting to “discuss” certain matters, and where I told them that “I am not in unauthorized possession of data, nor do I know, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the personal details of anyone with unauthorized possession of data” and that I would only communicate with them via email, to retain a written record. They did not reach out to me any further in order to discuss matters or to get an attestation. They also do not mention that they sent an attestation letter to a third party who was only connected to the case because they had commented on my reporting, as I’ve mentioned to you before.
I am unsure if you can publish this email exchange, but I leave it to you to see in connection with what was shared and reported on.
Have a good day,
John Ponty, Liberty Sentries

The following is the email thread referenced above, messages given in time order:

On Friday, March 27th, 2026 at 9:54 AM, Hamzah Siddiqui wrote Liberty Sentries:
Hello John,
We are legal counsel for Libertarian National Committee, Inc. and are contacting you as part of our review of your article published on Medium. Specifically, we need to discuss whether you are in unauthorized possession of data or know of others who are in unauthorized possession of data that informed your post. We would like to speak at 3pm ET on Tuesday, March 31, please confirm your availability or share other times, and consult legal counsel as you see fit.
Thank you,
Hamzah Siddiqui, Esq.
Attorney

On Monday, March 30th, 2026 at 12:00 PM, Liberty Sentries wrote:
Hello Mr. Siddiqui,
I will not be available to speak at 3 PM EST on Tuesday, March 31st. I also will not communicate with you in any other format than by email, as I wish to retain a written record of the questions you ask of me while acting as legal counsel for Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
I will be clear here: I am not in unauthorized possession of data, nor do I know, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the personal details of anyone with unauthorized possession of data.
I would like to inquire on if Libertarian National Committee, Inc. directly retained you as legal counsel, and on what date? I am unaware of any persons acting officially as legal counsel for them besides Mr. Oliver Hall.
I will also inform you that I plan to make these communications available to the public, as the current information being shared is, to my understanding, not privileged or confidential.’
John Ponty, Liberty Sentries

From: Liberty Sentries
Date: On Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: Libertarian National Committee – Seeking Response
To: Hamzah Siddiqui
CC: Dan Greene, Sherri Beals

Hello again Mr. Siddiqui,
I am again requesting information on whether Libertarian National Committee, Inc. directly retained you or Octillo Law PLLC as legal counsel, and when and how that came about? I had contacted an officer of Libertarian National Committee, Inc. and they had stated they were unaware of you being retained by them as legal counsel, only understanding that you were contracted for digital insurance.
Have a good day,
John Ponty, Liberty Sentries

From Kyle Davis:

Hey George,
Octillo’s claims were misleading in numerous ways.
Here’s what I actually sent them. [Reposted in time order]
ADDENDUM is the next line:
[His attestation appears here as a PDF file]

From: Hamzah Siddiqui <hsiddiqui@octillolaw.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 12:52 PM
To: me@kyledavis.com <me@kyledavis.com>
Cc: Dan Greene <dgreene@octillolaw.com>; Sherri Beals <sbeals@octillolaw.com>
Subject: Request for Signature/ Information
Hello Kyle,
We are legal counsel for Libertarian National Comittee, Inc. (“Libertarian”) and are contacting you as part of our review for this matter. Libertarian provided us your confirmation of performing exports during the period under review and we are therefore requesting your assistance.
Please review and sign the attached attestation form. This document is intended to confirm the accuracy and compliance of the information for our records. Please also provide the names and contact information of any individuals with whom you shared the data.
We will also send you an AdobeSign version of the attached, in case providing electronic signature is easier. We appreciate a signed copy and your response regarding the names and contact information of anyone else this was shared with by the end of Friday, March 20th.
Thank you,
Hamzah
Hamzah Siddiqui, Esq.

On March 26, 2026, Hamzah Siddiqui <hsiddiqui@octillolaw.com> wrote:
Hello Kyle,
I am writing to follow up on our prior correspondence regarding the attestation form and related information requested as part of our review for this matter.
As noted previously, Libertarian informed us that you performed exports during this period under review, and we are requesting your assistance in confirming the accuracy and compliance of the information for our records. Please review and sign the attached attestation form and provide the names and contact information of any individual with whom the data was shared.
We require your response as soon as possible, before escalating further. If you have any questions or require additional context, please reach out.
Thank you,
Hamzah
Hamzah Siddiqui, Esq.
Attorney

From: Kyle Davis <me@kyledavis.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Subject: Re: Request for Signature/ Information
To: Hamzah Siddiqui <hsiddiqui@octillolaw.com>, Dan Greene <dgreene@octillolaw.com>, and Sherri Beals <sbeals@octillolaw.com>

Helloy Hamzah,
Sorry for the delay, it’s been a wild couple of weeks in my family life.
I exported only what I directly asked about, with all data being removed as it was downloaded, leaving the structure of the db only.
I have maintained the files in exactly the state they’ve been in so that I can show anyone who needs to see it.
I will gladly show that information to the legal team, as there’s no private data included.
I have kept copies of the emails from my time on the IS Committee (which, to my knowledge, I am still on, despite being uninvited from meetings) as they show me repeatedly warning that a leak could happen.
Since there have been members of the LNC who have suggested that they’re intending to scapegoat me and take legal action, I believe it’s in my best interest to hold onto those records until cleared.
There is no PII in that information, nor proprietary information.
I will cooperate however possible, but will not be providing my devices for open inspection. That would be a huge violation of privacy. I will gladly show the exact locations, along with timestamps etc., of everything I have.
I will show how the script that cleaned all possible data out works as well.
I have intentionally left those folders alone so that access times are still shown.
As such, I cannot sign the attestation as is, but will provide any assistance I can, including the things from it that I have not outlined as issues herein.
Thank you!
-Kyle Davis
Feel free to call anytime for quicker responses: (706) 224-8524