The FBI confirmed on Monday that it was opening an investigation after the Trump campaign claimed it had been hacked and some of its internal documents leaked.
“We can confirm that the FBI is investigating this matter,” the bureau said in an email but declined to answer additional questions from The Hill.
Microsoft said in a report on Friday that Iran was responsible for the hack, but did not say at the time whether the Trump campaign was the target.
The company said the Iranian-backed group “sent spear-phishing emails to senior officials in June from a compromised email account of a former senior adviser to the presidential campaign.”
The confirmation of the investigation marks a change of course for the FBI, which said over the weekend only that it became aware of the alleged hacking through news reports.
US government agencies have not previously commented on allegations that Iran was responsible for the hack, despite recent intelligence reports pointing to increased efforts by Iran to influence US elections.
“This is an issue that we’ve been flagging up for some time and it raises concerns that Iranian cyber actors are attempting to influence elections around the world, including in the United States,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
“These recent attempts to interfere in U.S. elections are nothing new for the Iranian regime. From our perspective, the Iranian regime has been trying to undermine democracy for years now.”
A report released last month by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Iran’s efforts were intended to “stove distrust in U.S. political institutions and increase social discord.”
“The IC observes that Tehran is attempting to influence the presidential election as Iran’s leaders want to avoid an outcome that they see as escalating tensions with the United States. Tehran is relying on a vast network of online figures and propaganda factories to spread disinformation,” the report said, including that it has been particularly active in exacerbating tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Intelligence agencies also said this summer they had learned Iran was plotting to assassinate former President Trump.
The Trump campaign also identified Iran as behind the alleged hacking on Saturday.
“These documents were illegally obtained from foreign sources hostile to the United States and were intended to interfere in the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout the Democratic electoral process,” Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chang said in a statement to The Hill.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry He denied the reports.He called them “malicious.”
As part of the hack, new media outlets were contacted by someone who shared research materials on Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s running mate.
Laura Kelly contributed.
