Iranian Hackers Target Trump’s Campaign to Interfere in U.S. Election
Sep 19, 2024
Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden’s team. U.S. agencies say it’s part of Iran’s attempt to influence the U.S. election.
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U.S. agencies revealed that Iranian hackers sent stolen material from former President Donald Trump’s campaign to individuals involved in Democratic President Joe Biden's re-election campaign.
The information, disclosed on Wednesday by the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is part of an alleged effort by Iran to interfere in the U.S. election process.
In a joint statement, the agencies said, “Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”
They called this activity part of Iran's plan to create division and undermine trust in U.S. elections. The statement also mentioned that there is no evidence that the recipients of the stolen material responded to the hackers.
No details were given about the exact nature of the stolen material.
Ongoing Cyber Attacks
This isn’t the first time Iran has been accused of cyberattacks targeting the U.S. In August, U.S. officials said Iran launched cyber operations against both major U.S. presidential campaigns, aiming to create political chaos among the American public.
Iran has repeatedly denied these accusations. Its permanent mission to the United Nations responded to the latest allegations by calling them "fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible."
The statement further clarified that Iran has no reason or desire to interfere in U.S. elections.
Emails Sent to Biden’s Campaign
The recent attack included emails sent in June and July to people involved in President Biden's campaign. The emails contained stolen text excerpts from Trump’s campaign. At the time, Biden was still in the race for re-election. However, on July 21, Biden withdrew from the race, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate.
Polls now show a close race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris.
Trump's Response to the Attack
In a rally on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Iran hacked his campaign to help the Democrats. He described the cyberattack as foreign election interference. His campaign also issued a statement asking Harris and Biden to clarify if they used any of the stolen material to damage his campaign.
Trump said, “They’re using these foreign powers to interfere with our democracy.”
Harris Campaign’s Reply
A spokesperson for Vice President Harris' campaign responded, saying that they are unaware of any material being sent directly to the campaign. The spokesperson mentioned that a few individuals from Biden’s campaign received personal emails that seemed like phishing attempts, and no further action was taken.
Decades-Long Tension
Iran also pointed out the long history of U.S. interference in its own affairs, referring to events such as the 1953 coup against the Iranian prime minister and the killing of military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The Iranian government has continued to deny any attempts to influence U.S. elections, maintaining that it does not have the motivation to get involved.
