FBI: Iran Responsible for attempted hacks on Trump and Biden/Harris campaigns during US election
The US government has confirmed Donald Trump’s claim that Iran attempted to hack his presidential campaign, and stated that Tehran also targeted the Biden-Harris operation.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported “increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle.”
The statement noted that hackers had specifically targeted presidential campaigns and attempted to influence the American public.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Biden calls Trump a loser in farewell speech
The agencies added, “This includes the recently reported activities to compromise former President Trump’s campaign, which the IC [intelligence community] attributes to Iran.”
“The IC is confident that the Iranians have attempted to gain access to individuals with direct connections to the presidential campaigns of both political parties.”
“Such actions, including thefts and disclosures, are aimed at influencing the US election process.”
Donald Trump’s campaign has blamed Iran for leaks. Pic: Reuters
Google has reported that the same hackers targeted the Biden-Harris campaign before President Joe Biden withdrew from the White House race, although it remains unclear if they were successful.
Ms Harris’s campaign has previously stated that they were not aware of any hacking attempts.
The Tehran UN mission to the US has dismissed the allegations as “unsubstantiated and without merit,” asserting that they have no intention or motive to interfere in the US presidential election and urging Washington to provide proof.
Three American news outlets – Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post – have reported receiving documents this month that appear to have been stolen from the Trump campaign.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign alleged that the documents were part of an Iranian ‘hack-and-leak’ operation to undermine the Republican nominee’s election prospects.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Kamala Harris’s surprise turn at DNC
The FBI announced last week that it is investigating hacking attempts targeting both parties.
Google recently released a detailed report on an Iranian hacker group, stating that it targeted the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns in May and June.
The US had previously accused Iran of the largest influence operation before the 2020 presidential election, involving sending threatening emails to Democrats in Florida to create the illusion of threats from the Proud Boys, a far-right group supporting Mr. Trump.
The agencies emphasized, “Protecting the integrity of our elections from foreign influence or interference is our priority.”
“The FBI, as the lead for threat response, has been monitoring this activity, communicating with the victims, and will continue to investigate to disrupt the responsible threat actors.”
“We will not tolerate foreign attempts to influence or interfere with our elections, including targeting American political campaigns.”
Read more:
Tearful Biden denies anger at colleagues
Awkward goodbye for president who didn’t want to go
Five things to watch out for at the DNC
The FBI continues to investigate, as stated by the agencies.
