US agencies say Iran offered hacked Trump docs to Democrats but was ignored

Several U.S. federal agencies said Iranian hackers tried to share material stolen from former President Donald Trump’s campaign with President Joe Biden’s campaign but were ignored.

On Wednesday evening, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published a statement outlining the latest findings of an investigation that began last month when it first emerged that alleged Iranian hackers had broken into Trump’s campaign systems and took information. 

The FBI said 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.”

“There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied,” they said. “Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.” 

At least three news outlets — the New York Times, Politico and Washington Post — have reported receiving emails from people claiming to have non-public documents from the Trump campaign. The news outlets have not covered the content of the documents — which are allegedly material that came from the vetting of vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. 

The FBI said it is in contact with the victims and is continuing to investigate the attack in an effort to “pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible.” Biden has since abandoned his campaign so Vice President Kamala Harris can run as the Democratic candidate for president.

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said there “is no evidence that anyone affiliated with the Biden campaign responded to the online actor who dangled illegally obtained emails, an online actor that we now know is an Iranian cutout.” 

“Thankfully, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden understand that foreign interference in our elections is unacceptable no matter who it helps or hurts,” Himes said. “It’s worth recalling that Donald Trump famously asked Russia to hack his opponent and his senior campaign staff eagerly met with Russians hoping to obtain hacked documents. He and anyone who excused his behavior should sit this one out.”

The agencies said the incident is the “latest example of Iran’s multipronged approach, as noted in the joint August statement, to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process.”  

“Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November. In particular, Russia, Iran, and China are trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability,” the agencies said.

Since the hack of the Trump campaign was announced, several government agencies and tech giants have released reports outlining attempts by actors based in Russia, China and Iran to spread disinformation, steal campaign documents and sway public opinion artificially. 

On Tuesday, Microsoft revealed that several fake videos about Harris that garnered millions of views were created and spread by Russian groups over the last month as Moscow has shifted its disinformation focus onto her. 

Microsoft president Brad Smith told Congress on Wednesday it appears Iran is intent on attacking Trump and Russia is focused on attacking Harris.

Read More: ‘Iran vs. Trump, and Russia vs. Harris’: Congress presses Silicon Valley giants on disinformation

China has created disinformation on both sides of the political aisle, according to Microsoft, but most notably the country’s actors sought to share fake information implicating Democratic officials in the first assassination attempt on Trump. 

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) said that since early July, his panel has received nearly a half-dozen updates on the intentions and plans of U.S. adversaries to influence the upcoming election. 

The committee has also recommended that campaigns reject the use of foreign original material, Warner added.

“With Russia’s 2016 playbook out in the open, it’s no surprise that other malign actors would seek to follow suit,” he said. 

“Our adversaries understand that there is an opportunity to exploit the pace and intensity of political campaigns by offering hacked or otherwise misappropriated materials to malicious ends.”