According to U.S. government agencies, Iranian cyber actors sent messages containing materials stolen from former President Trump's campaign this summer to officials in President Biden's re-election campaign in an attempt to “sow discord and influence the outcome of the U.S. elections.”
“Malicious Iranian cyber actors sent unsolicited emails between late June and early July to individuals then associated with President Biden's campaign that contained excerpts of non-public materials stolen from former President Trump's campaign,” the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
Officials noted there was no current information indicating whether the recipient responded to the message.
US intelligence agencies also alleged that Iran has been meddling in the election since June and has sent stolen Trump campaign materials to US media organisations.
Iran trying to disrupt Trump campaign: U.S. intelligence
US intelligence agencies believe Iran is interfering in the 2024 elections. (Getty Images)
“Additionally, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued efforts since June to transmit stolen, non-public materials related to former President Trump's election campaign to U.S. media organizations,” they said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on February 17, 2021, about the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue, which was signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany, and Iran. (Iranian Leadership Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The agencies said Iran's continued interference in the elections “fuels discord and undermines confidence in the electoral process.”
“The FBI, which is leading the response to this threat, is tracking this activity and in contact with victims, and will continue to investigate and gather intelligence to pursue and disrupt those responsible for these threats,” they said. “As we approach November, foreign actors are stepping up their efforts to influence the election.”
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At a rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday night, former President Trump criticized Iran's election interference, calling it “madness.”
“Three agencies of the Kamala Harris-Joe Biden administration — the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — released reports confirming that Iranian actors hacked into email accounts of the Trump campaign and tried to give the hacked materials to the Biden-Harris campaign. They gave all the materials because Biden is working with Iran, and Iran is willing to make a deal, which doesn't look very good on me.”
“But this madness cannot continue much longer,” Trump said. “That's why, less than two months from now, I'm going to tell Kamala I can't take it anymore. Kamala, you've been a terrible vice president. You're going to be an even worse president. I can't take it anymore. You're fired. Get out!”
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend Russia-Iran talks in Moscow, Russia, December 7, 2023. (putnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via Reuters)
Iran is not the only foreign adversary accused of meddling in the 2024 presidential election.
On July 10, ODNI officials It's called Russia “The biggest threat” to the election.
“This is a tactic we've seen before, including efforts to use powerful voices in the United States to spread their message, primarily through social media,” an ODNI official told reporters in July. “And in terms of who they're targeting, what we can say today is that the Russians have become sophisticated enough to know that targeting voters in battleground states is particularly beneficial to them.”
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Officials have previously stressed that intelligence agencies expect foreign adversaries to increase illicit activities to manipulate public opinion as the U.S. election date approaches, highlighting the threat to the U.S. political landscape.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
