Trump Campaign Claims Hack Following Leak of Internal Documents
The campaign of former President Donald Trump reported on Saturday that it had been hacked after Politico received internal documents from an anonymous email account. The documents included vice-presidential vetting materials concerning Ohio Senator JD Vance, who Trump had recently selected as his running mate shortly before the Republican National Convention in July.
As of now, Politico has been unable to identify the sender of the emails or their motive for disclosing the materials. The Trump campaign has not provided direct evidence linking the breach to Iranian involvement but referred to a recent Microsoft report indicating that Iranian hackers had targeted a U.S. presidential campaign.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Business Insider, “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.” He referenced a Microsoft report which found that Iranian hackers had sent a “spear phishing email” to a U.S. presidential campaign in June, coinciding with Trump’s selection of a vice-presidential nominee.
Cheung did not specify whether the campaign had contacted Microsoft or law enforcement regarding the breach.
Microsoft’s Findings
Microsoft has yet to respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. According to its report, Iranian groups linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had attempted to “stir up controversy or sway voters,” particularly in key swing states. The report indicated that in June, an Iranian group sent a phishing email to a top campaign official. The email, originating from a compromised account of a former advisor, contained a link that redirected through a domain controlled by the hackers before reaching the intended website. The same group later tried unsuccessfully to access an account belonging to a former presidential candidate.
Document Leak Details
In late June, a user identified as “Robert” began sending internal documents from an AOL account to Politico. The documents, dating from late February, were verified by two sources as authentic. They included a file on Vance that assessed his public critiques of Trump as potential vulnerabilities. Additionally, “Robert” sent documents related to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another potential running mate for Trump.
Politico’s verification of the documents confirmed their authenticity, but the identity and motives of the sender remain unclear.
