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Iranian hackers distributed hacked information about Donald Trump’s election campaign to people linked to the Biden campaign, according to the FBI and US intelligence agencies.
US officials now believe that information taken from the Trump campaign was sent in unsolicited emails to people linked to the campaign in late June and early July – before Biden dropped out of the race for the president.
There is currently no evidence that the hackers received any response from any recipient.
In August, officials warned that Iran hopes to “foster discord” and undermine trust in American institutions ahead of the November election.
US officials said Iran had used “social engineering and other efforts” to seek direct access to Democratic and Republican campaigns – a tactic they said had been used by both Iran and the Russia in other countries of the world.
In a statement released Wednesday, the FBI said that “Iranian malicious actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to media organizations Americans”.
When contacted by the BBC, the spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, Karoline Leavitt, said that the hack is proof that Iran was “interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden because they know that President Trump restore their harsh sanctions and stand against their reign of terror.” .
She said Biden and Harris should explain what happened to the material sent to Biden associates. “What did they know and when did they know it?” Mrs. Leavitt asked.
Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesman for the Harris-Walz campaign, said the campaign has cooperated with authorities since becoming aware of the hacks.
“We are not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign,” Ms. Finkelstein added. “Some individuals have had their personal emails targeted with what appeared to be a spam or phishing attempt.”
Ms. Finkelstein added that she condemns “in the strongest terms” any foreign election interference efforts.
The BBC has also contacted the White House for comment.
The FBI statement added that officials have been in contact with victims of the hack and are continuing to investigate in hopes of stopping and disrupting “the threat actors responsible.”
The announcement comes amid renewed scrutiny of Trump’s security, just days after a second apparent assassination attempt was made against him at his golf course in Florida.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump addressed the attempt, saying “I just have to lead my life.”
“You never want to be restricted because of the crazy people out there,” he added.
After Trump was wounded by a gunman during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, US officials said an Iranian threat to Trump’s life had prompted additional security measures.
At a packed rally on New York’s Long Island on Wednesday, Trump supporters told the BBC they were angry after learning of a possible second attempt after authorities said a gunman was found with a rifle at the club Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Florida as the former. The president was the gulf.
A supporter of the rally, Dina Glazer, said she blamed Democrats and their rhetoric about Trump for the incident.
The former president “needs more security, which they didn’t do,” he said.
Another supporter, Michelle Christ, said she feared Trump was in “constant danger.”
“Some people think their opinion is the most important,” he said. “But don’t act on those thoughts” violently, he said.