According to the latest reports, the United States Department of Justice is preparing to criminally charge an Iranian hacker who targeted the presidential campaign team of the Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump in an attempt to influence the outcome of the November US election.
The Associated Press cited two anonymous sources as saying that it is not yet clear when these charges will be announced, nor is it clear who the specific targets of the charges are. However, these charges are the result of an FBI investigation into a hacking incident. Investigators from multiple agencies have connected this incident to Iran’s attempts to influence the US election.
The US Department of Justice has issued warnings stating that hostile countries such as Russia and Iran are plotting to interfere in the US presidential election, including through hacking attacks and secret social media activities aimed at shaping public opinion.
On Thursday (September 12), Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen stated in New York that Iran “is mobilizing more power than ever before to influence this year’s election, and as the election nears, its activities are becoming increasingly aggressive.”
He added, “Iran sees this year’s election as particularly significant to its national security interests, which increases Tehran’s tendency to try to influence the election results.”
Trump’s campaign team disclosed on August 10 that they were targeted in a hacking attack, claiming that Iran stole and distributed sensitive internal documents. At least three news organizations—the political news website Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—received leaked internal documents from Trump’s campaign team. So far, these media outlets have refused to disclose details about the documents.
According to Politico, the website started receiving emails from an anonymous account starting on July 22. The source of the messages was an email account that only displayed the name “Robert.” This account delivered a research file that appeared to be about the campaign team’s research on Republican Vice Presidential nominee and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. The document was dated February 23, nearly five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate.
The FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) later attributed this hacking attack to Iran. These agencies issued statements saying that the hacking attacks and similar activities were aimed at sowing discord and using internal divisions in American society to influence the election results.
The statement did not specifically mention if Iran favored any candidate. However, Tehran appears to be set on retaliating against Trump for ordering a military airstrike during his presidency that killed an Iranian military leader.
Last Thursday (12th), Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen stated, “We have recognized that transparency of the information we see is crucial. This helps ensure that our citizens understand foreign government attempts to sow discord and spread false information—all of which increase the resilience of our voters.”
He added, “It sends a warning to our private sector, enabling them to better protect their networks. It also sends a clear message to our adversaries—we have a deep understanding of your networks, we know what you are doing, and we are determined to hold you accountable.”
Last week, in an effort to combat false information before the election, the Department of Justice charged two employees of the Russian state-owned media outlet, Russia Today (RT), for covertly providing nearly $10 million to a content production company in Tennessee to publish English videos on social media platforms spreading information favorable to the interests and agenda of the Russian government.