Donald Trump's presidential campaign stated on Saturday that its internal communications were hacked and blamed the Iranian government, referencing previous tensions between Trump and Iran but offering no direct evidence.
According to ABC News, hackers accessed vetting files related to JD Vance, Trump's running mate, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was also being considered for the Republican vice presidential candidate.
"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," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
The Republican campaign's statement followed a report from news website Politico, which disclosed that it began receiving emails in July from an anonymous source offering authentic documents from inside Trump's operation, including a report on running mate JD Vance's "potential vulnerabilities."
Cheung also referenced a Microsoft report released on Friday, which indicated that an "Iranian group, connected with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign." Microsoft did not identify which campaign was targeted, and a Microsoft spokesperson declined to provide further details beyond what was included in the report.
"The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House. Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America's enemies and doing exactly what they want," Cheung added.
A spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations stated, "We do not accord any credence to such reports. The Iranian Government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election," reported NBC News.
Late on Saturday, Trump also posted on his Truth Social app that Microsoft had just informed the campaign that Iran had hacked one of its websites. He cast blame on Iran, adding they were "only able to get publicly available information."
A White House National Security Council spokesperson referred inquiries about the allegations to the Justice Department.
"The Biden-Harris Administration strongly condemns any foreign government or entity who attempts to interfere in our electoral process or seeks to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions," the spokesperson said.
Trump survived an assassination attempt in July. Although there is no indication that the suspect was connected to Iran, CNN reported last month that the U.S. had intelligence on an Iranian plot against Trump. Iran has denied these allegations.
Earlier, a senior intelligence official briefed reporters that Tehran and Moscow continue to support the same presidential preferences as in previous cycles. Iranian operatives are expected to target the Republican ticket, while Russia is likely to focus on smearing Democrats, according to earlier intelligence community assessments.
