U.S. investigators revealed on Wednesday that Iranian hackers sent sensitive information stolen from former President Donald Trump’s campaign to individuals associated with President Joe Biden’s campaign earlier this summer. The emails, sent in June and July, contained an excerpt from non-public materials from Trump’s campaign.
Hackers Attempt to Damage Trump Campaign
According to a statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Iranians have been trying to leak stolen Trump campaign materials since June. The agencies also noted that attempts to leak this information to media organizations have been ongoing.
This revelation sheds light on the persistent efforts by Iran to harm the Trump campaign. Back in August, U.S. officials had called out Iran’s hack-and-leak tactics, which were first reported by POLITICO.
Biden Campaign Response
While it’s unclear to what extent the Biden campaign made use of the information, Morgan Finkelstein, spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, clarified that Biden campaign staff did not reply to the unsolicited emails. Finkelstein stated, “We have cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities since we were made aware” of the information being sent. She further condemned any foreign attempts to interfere in U.S. elections.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections,” she said, adding that the targeted individuals saw the emails as potential phishing attempts.
Trump Campaign’s Reaction
Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, strongly criticized the development, claiming that it proves Iran is interfering in the election to favor Harris and Biden. She called for Harris and Biden to disclose any knowledge of the stolen material, stating, “Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians.”
During a rally in New York, Trump also raised the issue of foreign election interference, stating, “Iran hacked into my campaign. I don’t know what the hell they found, I’d like to find out.”
Federal Response and Ongoing Investigation
The FBI and other federal agencies have been actively tracking this activity and are working to disrupt the actors responsible for the breach. The Justice Department is reportedly preparing criminal charges related to the incident.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco emphasized the seriousness of Iran’s efforts to interfere with the U.S. presidential campaign, stating that Iran is a key threat to election security this year.
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