TEXT JOIN TO 77022

Iranians Hackers Sent Materials Stolen From Trump Campaign to Biden-Harris Campaign

Earlier this summer, Iranian hackers sent data stolen from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to people associated with the Biden’s campaign and to various media outlets, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) revealed in a joint statement Wednesday.

The agencies said “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails.”

Additionally, Iranian hackers since June have been sending “stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations,” the statement said.

There is reportedly no indication that the Harris Campaign accessed the stolen materials.

A spokesman for the Harris-Walz campaign told CNN that “a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails.”

“We have cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities since we were made aware that individuals associated with the then-Biden campaign were among the intended victims of this foreign influence operation,” said Morgan Finkelstein, national security spokesman for the Harris campaign.

“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. We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.”

Another campaign official claimed “the material was not used.”

“This malicious cyber activity is the latest example of Iran’s multi-pronged approach, as noted in the joint August statement, to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process,” the intel agencies said in the statement.

As the lead for threat response, the FBI has been tracking this activity, has been in contact with the victims, and will continue to investigate and gather information in order to pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible. Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November. In particular, Russia, Iran, and China are trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability. Efforts by these, or other foreign actors, to undermine our democratic institutions are a direct threat to the U.S. and will not be tolerated.

The Iranian government denies US allegations that it is attempting to meddle in the upcoming election.

“Already devoid of any credibility and legitimacy, such allegations are fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not engage in the internal uproars or electoral controversies of the United States,” the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement to CNN.

The Trump campaign said in a statement Wednesday that Harris and Biden “must come clean on whether they used the hacked material.”

“This is further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror,” said Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump. What did they know and when did they know it?”

Trump also made note of the breaches during a rally Wednesday night in New York, telling the crowd that Iran gave the Harris Campaign the materials “because Biden is working with Iran and Iran doesn’t exactly like me.”

“Iran hacked into my campaign. I don’t know what the hell they found,” Trump said. “I’d like to find out, couldn’t have been too exciting, but they gave it to the Biden campaign. I can’t believe it – oh yes I can,” he added. “But this is really foreign election interference, this is real election interference—not the phony crap they’ve been trying to pin on me.”

It was widely reported earlier this summer that Iranian government-backed hackers had shared stolen internal Trump campaign documents with news organizations.

Beginning on July 22, Politico reported, it had received emails that contained internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official and a research dossier the campaign had put together on Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

The New York Times and The Washington Post later reported that they, too, had been sent a similar cache, including a 271-page document on Vance dated February 23 and labeled “privileged & confidential,” that the outlets said was based on publicly available information.

The Iranian hackers did breach the email account of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone to target campaign staff in June, CNN has reported. US officials believe the hackers work for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Investigators believe the suspected Iranian hackers breached Stone’s account and then used that email account to try to break into the account of a senior Trump campaign official as part of a persistent effort to access campaign networks.

On social media, Trump and his allies pointed out the difference between how the Intelligence Community and media reacted to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and Iran’s alleged attempts to help the Harris Campaign in 2024.

“Iranian hackers sent STOLEN Trump campaign information to people associated with the Biden/Harris campaign,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on X. “This is exactly what Democrats said happened during the Russian “collusion” scandal. But this time it’s real. Where’s their outrage?”

On Truth Social Thursday, Trump posted: “WHEN DOES KAMALA AND HER CAMPAIGN GO BEFORE A GRAND JURY ON IRAN, IRAN, IRAN?” Trump wrote. “MY CAMPAIGN WHEN THROUGH HELL ON THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE IRAN/KAMALA CAMPAIGN CORRUPTION CASE IS REAL!”

Get the news corporate media won't tell you.

Get caught up on today's must read stores!

By submitting your information, you agree to receive exclusive AG+ content, including special promotions, and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms. By providing your phone number and checking the box to opt in, you are consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from my short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

About Debra Heine

Debra Heine is a conservative Catholic mom of six and longtime political pundit. She has written for several conservative news websites over the years, including Breitbart and PJ Media.

Photo: UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on September 18, 2024 in Uniondale, New York. Trump held his first rally after Saturday's apparent assassination attempt, the second one in two months after being injured at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Start the discussion at community.amgreatness.com