FBI: Iranian Hackers Sent Stolen Trump Campaign Material to Biden Team

The FBI and various U.S. intelligence agencies have revealed that Iranian hackers are actively attempting to influence the upcoming 2024 presidential election, reportedly utilizing stolen information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign. This information has been sent to individuals connected with President Joe Biden’s campaign before Trump officially exited the race.

According to a statement from U.S. intelligence agencies on Wednesday, “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails.”

Investigators noted, “There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied.”

Furthermore, investigations revealed that the Iranian government has consistently pursued efforts to distribute stolen campaign materials to media outlets.

In June, Iran initiated a phishing campaign aimed at both the Biden and Trump campaigns, where the latter’s operation reportedly obtained internal campaign data.

By mid-August, U.S. intelligence agencies—including the FBI, CISA, and ODNI—issued a warning regarding these activities, stating that the threat continues to persist.

“This malicious cyber activity is the latest example of Iran’s multi-pronged approach, as noted in the joint August statement, to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process,” investigators remarked.

As the leading agency for threat response, the FBI has been monitoring this cyber activity closely, keeping in contact with the affected parties. The agency assures it will persist in its efforts to investigate, gather information, and disrupt the responsible threat actors. With the November elections approaching, foreign entities are significantly ramping up their influence operations.

On the same day, Trump’s campaign demanded greater transparency from the Biden-Harris administration regarding the material received and whether it was used during the campaign.

Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump. What did they know and when did they know it?”

Leavitt went on to emphasize that the hackers are interfering to assist Harris and Biden, arguing that they are aware that Trump would impose stricter sanctions and stand firm against Iranian influences.

In response, Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein reiterated their cooperation with law enforcement once they learned that individuals affiliated with Biden’s campaign were part of the intended targets of this foreign influence scheme.

Finkelstein remarked, “We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt. We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections, including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.”

Intelligence agencies have identified Russia, China, and Iran as the foremost contributors to influence operations throughout the 2024 election cycle.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Iran’s Mission to the United Nations dismissively referred to the intelligence community’s findings as “fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible.”

They stressed that “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not engage in the internal uproars or electoral controversies of the United States.”