Trump's campaign says it was hacked, points finger at Iran
Donald Trump's campaign has confirmed that it suffered a cybersecurity breach. This admission followed after POLITICO received emails from an unidentified AOL email account identifying itself as "Robert." The emails contained internal documents from Trump's operation. Trump's campaign pointed fingers at "foreign sources hostile to the United States," referencing Microsoft's latest report about Iranian hackers' spear-phishing attempt (in June), targeting high-ranking official of a presidential campaign. Per POLITICO, the campaign didn't confirm whether they had additional information supporting their claim.
Campaign spokesperson attributes hack to foreign interference
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung stated, "These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process." "On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a 'high ranking official' on the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump's selection of a vice presidential nominee," he added.
Leaked documents include research dossier on VP nominee
The anonymous source, self-identified as "Robert," shared what seemed to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. The leaked documents included a research dossier on Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, dated February 23. Two individuals familiar with the documents confirmed their authenticity to POLITICO. The dossier was a 271-page document based on publicly available information about Vance's past record, and statements with some past criticisms of Trump being identified in the document as "POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES."
Source remains anonymous, extent of breach unclear
When asked about the source of the documents, "Robert" responded, "I suggest you don't be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them." The full extent of the information obtained by the hacker remains unclear, but it signifies a significant security breach for Trump's campaign.
Iran denies involvement in Trump campaign hack
In response to the allegations, Iran's mission to the United Nations denied any involvement. "We do not accord any credence to such reports," the mission told The Associated Press. "The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election." This statement came despite recent reports suggesting Iran was plotting against Trump in retaliation for his decision to order the assassination of Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Microsoft reports increased foreign influence in 2024 election
Microsoft's report indicated that "foreign malign influence concerning the 2024 US election started off slowly but has steadily picked up pace over the last six months due initially to Russian operations, but more recently from Iranian activity." The report detailed that an Iranian military intelligence unit, Mint Sandstorm, sent a phishing email to an American presidential campaign via a compromised account of a former adviser in June 2024.
