FBI Investigates Allegations of Iranian Hack on Trump Campaign
The FBI has launched an investigation into claims from the Trump campaign that it was the target of a cyberattack allegedly orchestrated by hackers affiliated with the Iranian government.
In a brief statement issued on Monday, the FBI confirmed it was probing the incident but did not specifically name either the former president or Iran as involved parties. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign informed the BBC that the documents in question were unlawfully accessed by “foreign actors hostile to the United States.”
Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the hacking incident, and, to date, the U.S. government has not formally accused Iran of any wrongdoing.
CBS News, in partnership with the BBC, reported that the FBI is also investigating whether Iranian hackers attempted to breach the campaign of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. This report cited sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
The Trump campaign’s statement follows a report released by Microsoft, which revealed that Iranian hackers attempted to infiltrate the campaign of an unnamed U.S. presidential candidate in June. According to Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), the campaign received a spear-phishing email, which is a type of email crafted to appear trustworthy in order to trick the recipient into clicking on a harmful link.
On Saturday, former President Trump addressed the issue, stating that the hackers “only managed to access publicly available information.”
Reports from CBS News suggest that the FBI initiated the investigation earlier in the summer after both campaigns were targeted by phishing attempts. The Washington Post noted that three Biden-Harris campaign staff members were also subjected to phishing emails shortly before President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the race.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign assured the public that their team “actively monitors and safeguards against cyber threats” and that they are “unaware of any breaches” in their security systems.
The Washington Post further reported that the FBI’s investigation into the hacking attempts began as early as June.
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff has urged the FBI to disclose its findings related to the hacking attempts, emphasizing the importance of swift action. Schiff expressed concern that the U.S. intelligence community was too slow in identifying the hacking and information dump by Russia during the 2016 election and stressed the need for a more rapid response in this instance.
Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell called for a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the “alleged hack of Trump’s presidential campaign.” He took to X/Twitter, where he wrote, “Yes, Trump is the most despicable person ever to seek office. He also sought foreign hacking in a past election… But that doesn’t mean America ever tolerates foreign interference.”
This situation echoes back to 2016 when Trump, during campaign rallies, publicly urged Russia to hack his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
U.S. security agencies have previously alerted the public about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, though this was not linked to the recent attempted shooting in Pennsylvania. Additionally, on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged a Pakistani man, allegedly connected to Iran, with plotting to assassinate U.S. officials, possibly including the former president.
