Trump campaign claims hack, blames Iran for breach of internal communications

Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign announced on Sunday that it had been hacked, pointing fingers at “foreign sources” for distributing internal communications and a dossier related to Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.

The campaign suggested that Iran was behind the breach, citing a recent report by Microsoft that identified Iranian hackers attempting to infiltrate U.S. presidential campaigns.

The breach was first reported by Politico, which disclosed that it had received emails containing the campaign material from an anonymous source who declined to identify themselves. The leaked materials included research on Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement.

The Trump campaign’s allegations come amid ongoing tensions between the former president and Iran, which escalated during his first term in office. Under Trump’s administration, the U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and ordered the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Cheung emphasized that “the Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House.”

Microsoft report and Iranian denial to the Trump campaign hack

The campaign’s statement referenced a Microsoft report from earlier this week, which revealed that Iranian hackers had sent a spear-phishing email in June targeting a “high-ranking official” within a U.S. presidential campaign. The hackers reportedly took control of an account belonging to a former political advisor and used it to launch the attack. Microsoft has not disclosed the identities of the targeted officials.

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York has denied the allegations, stating in an email, “The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election.” The mission also reiterated that Iran’s cyber capabilities are “defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces,” with no intention of launching cyberattacks.

This incident bears resemblance to the 2016 Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack, which was attributed to Russian operatives. That breach exposed internal communications, including emails related to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump, who eventually won the 2016 election, faced criticism for appearing to encourage the hack.

The timing of the latest breach is particularly sensitive, as Trump survived an assassination attempt in July. While there has been no direct link between the suspect and Iran, CNN recently reported that U.S. intelligence had uncovered an Iranian plot against Trump. Iran has denied any involvement in such activities.

A senior U.S. intelligence official recently indicated that Tehran and Moscow continue to harbor the same presidential preferences as in previous election cycles. According to the official, Iranian operatives aim to undermine the Republican ticket, while Russia has focused its efforts on discrediting Democrats.

As the 2024 election approaches, the Trump campaign’s allegations of foreign interference underscore the continued vulnerability of U.S. political campaigns to cyberattacks from state actors.