SPECULATING: The KMT said that, if true, the suspected cyberattack revealed an ‘appalling’ infringement upon the autonomy of the nation’s independent agencies

Taipei Times
Date: May 19, 20204
By: Lin Liang-sheng and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to explain its alleged intervention in personnel appointments at independent agencies as suggested in files sent to the media in a suspected cyberattack on the Presidential Office.

Until there is a clear explanation from the government, KMT lawmakers would not approve the DPP administration’s nominees for those positions, the party caucus told a news conference.

Media reports of an alleged cyberattack on the Presidential Office on Friday said that an e-mail account named “ser lo” sent some members of the media on the office’s contact list files purporting to be related to the Cabinet member selection for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) second term, including an assessment report on vice president-elect William Lai (賴清德) from early last year, when he ran against Tsai in the DPP’s presidential primary.

If information in the files is true, the DPP was interfering with personnel appointments at independent agencies, and “undermining the state systems,” KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said.    [FULL  STORY]