The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into allegations from the Trump campaign that it was targeted by hackers associated with the Iranian government.
“We can confirm the FBI is investigating the matter,” the agency said in a short statement on Monday without specifically naming the former president or Iran.
A Trump campaign spokesman told the BBC that the documents in question were illegally obtained by “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”
Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the hack, and the US government has not formally accused Iran.
The FBI is also investigating whether Iranian hackers targeted the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign, according to CBS News, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
The Trump campaign’s statement followed a Microsoft report indicating that Iranian hackers targeted the campaign of an unnamed US presidential candidate in June. Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) revealed that the campaign received a spear-phishing email designed to appear trustworthy in order to lure the target into clicking a malicious link.
On Saturday, Trump stated that the hackers were “only able to get publicly available information.”
The FBI began investigating these incidents in early summer after both campaigns experienced attempted phishing schemes, according to CBS News.
The Washington Post reported that three staff members of the Biden-Harris campaign were targeted by phishing emails in the days leading up to President Joe Biden’s announcement of his withdrawal from the race.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign stated that the campaign “vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats, and we are not aware of any security breaches of our systems.” The BBC has requested a comment from the Harris campaign.
The Washington Post noted that the FBI’s probe into the hacking attempts was first opened in June.
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff and other lawmakers have called for the FBI to disclose what it knows about the hacking attempts. Schiff criticized the US intelligence community for its slow response to the Russian hacking and dumping scheme in 2016 and urged a swift action in this case.
It comes after Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell said he was requesting a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security on the “alleged hack of Trump’s presidential campaign”.
“Yes, Trump is the most despicable person ever to seek office. He also sought foreign hacking in a past election… But that doesn’t mean America ever tolerates foreign interference,” he posted on X/Twitter on Saturday.
At campaign rallies in 2016, Trump publicly urged Russia to hack his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
US security sources had previously warned of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, which is unrelated to last month’s attempted shooting in Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice charged a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran, accusing him of plotting to assassinate US officials, potentially including the former president.