The FBI, along with two other government agencies, has reported that Iranian hackers sent "unsolicited emails" containing stolen material from Former President Donald Trump's campaign to individuals associated with his Democratic rival's campaign. The information, which was not publicly available, was sent to people linked to President Joe Biden's campaign, according to a statement released on Wednesday, reports NBC News.
The FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency jointly stated that there was "currently no information" indicating that recipients associated with Biden's campaign had responded to these emails. The agencies condemned these actions as part of an effort "to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process."
Last month, the agencies confirmed that Iran was behind efforts this year to compromise the presidential campaigns of both parties. This came after Trump's campaign accused Iran of a hacking attempt in June. The statement also revealed that Iranian hackers have continued to attempt to transmit nonpublic stolen material related to Trump's campaign to media organizations since late June. The FBI is actively tracking this activity.
The agencies warned of increasing foreign efforts to interfere in US elections ahead of November, particularly from Russia, Iran, and China. These countries are "trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in US society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability," the statement said.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, responded to the news in a statement: "Iranians wanted to help Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee, because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror." Trump himself weighed in on the matter through a Truth Social post, claiming, "Harris and her campaign were illegally spying on me. To be known as the Iran, Iran, Iran case!"
President Trump: Today, three agencies of the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden administration released a report CONFIRMING that Iranian hackers hacked into Trump campaign email accounts and gave the Biden-Harris campaign stolen material.
ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! pic.twitter.com/e1K2nv5uJ5
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 19, 2024
Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, stated that the campaign has cooperated with law enforcement since learning about the hacking effort. "We're not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt," Finkelstein said.
Three federal law enforcement sources confirmed the accuracy of the Harris campaign's statement. They said law enforcement agencies tracked the stolen information from the Trump campaign and determined that several people linked to Biden's campaign received emails containing the information. The recipients reportedly never responded to the emails and may not have even opened them, as they appeared to be phishing attempts.
Last month, Google's Threat Analysis Group reported that an Iranian hacker group tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns in a phishing operation in May and June.
The Justice Department plans to file criminal charges in connection with the hacking of Trump's campaign, according to two law enforcement officials. A spokesperson for Iran's mission to the United Nations has denied the country's role in the operation.
This is not the first time Iran has been accused of election meddling. In 2021, the Justice Department indicted two Iranians over a "cyber-enabled" campaign to intimidate and influence American voters during the 2020 presidential election.
