WASHINGTON — Iranian hackers sent people associated with President Joe Biden’s campaign unsolicited information that was stolen from former President Donald Trump’s campaign, but the overture was ignored, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday.
The announcement is the latest in a series of warnings by federal cybersecurity officials about Iran’s efforts to meddle in the upcoming election, including taking specific steps to release information about Trump’s campaign.
That has also included a hack-and-leak spear phishing effort targeting Trump’s campaign in retaliation for the former president’s actions taken while he was in office against the Tehran regime, including killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Qasem Soleimani.
The public warning by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence was issued because “the FBI has learned additional details about Iran’s efforts to sow discord and shape the outcome of U.S. elections,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
“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,” the agencies said in a statement, which was first reported by the Associated Press. “There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. 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.”
The Justice Department has been preparing charges in that breach, the Associated Press has reported.
More: Russia ramping up election-meddling efforts to help Trump beat Harris, intel officials say
The federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have also said that Iran, Russia and to a lesser extent China have all zeroed in on the 2024 presidential campaign in an effort to undermine voters’ faith in the election and to stoke discord.
Biden dropped out of the race in July, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run and eventually become the Democratic nominee. She is running neck and neck with Trump in the most recent polls.
Condemning efforts by foreign actors to meddle in election
Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the campaign of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the campaign has “cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities since we were made aware that individuals associated with the then-Biden campaign were among the intended victims of this foreign influence operation.”
“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,” Finkelstein told USA TODAY. “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.”
Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said the announcement by federal authorities “is further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror.”“Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump,” Leavitt told USA TODAY. “What did they know and when did they know it?”
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House intelligence committee, questioned what those linked to the Biden-Harris campaign did with the information.
“Iran sent President Biden and Vice President Harris information by hacking the Trump campaign,” Turner said in a statement. “What did they do with Iran’s espionage? Did they contact law enforcement? Is the Biden-Harris Administration colluding with Iran?”
‘Russia if you’re listening’
The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, pushed back on that claim, noting that the joint statement by the agencies “makes clear that 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 in a statement of his own. “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.”
Trump all but invited Russia to hack his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, saying he would “love to see” private emails from the former secretary of State. Trump welcomed such a scenario after Wikileaks published emails of Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee officials that were hacked by Russia.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump told reporters at a news conference near Miami at the time. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
U.S. intelligence agencies later concluded that Russia was working actively to hack the election in various ways that would help Trump win and undermine Clinton’s campaign. In recent months, U.S. intelligence officials have said, Russia has continued its cyber-meddling, this time to help Trump defeat Biden, and now Harris, in the 2024 election.
The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Russia’s efforts in 2016 opened the door for Iran and other countries to intervene in U.S. elections.
“With Russia’s 2016 playbook out in the open, it’s no surprise that other malign actors would seek to follow suit,” Warner 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.”
Warner noted that the committee’s exhaustive and bipartisan report on Russian interference included a recommendation that all campaigns should reject the use of foreign original material.
“With fewer than 50 days to go until Election Day, I continue to urge all Americans to be aware of, and stand guard against, efforts by foreign adversaries to influence your votes,” Warner said.
Hacking campaign communications, internal documents
Last month, U.S. intelligence agencies said they had confirmed Iran was behind the hacking effort against the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns. That came after Trump’s campaign said some internal documents and communications had been hacked and leaked to a news organization.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations has denied any involvement in the hacking efforts described by the U.S. agencies. “We do not accord any credence to such reports,” the mission told The Associated Press. “The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election.”
Politico, The Washington Post and the New York Times all reported receiving the information but there is no indication that they have published information from it.
Harris’ campaign also said it was the target of an unsuccessful “spear phishing” attack aimed at breaching its firewall, the Washington Post reported.
And last month, U.S. intelligence officials said Russia is ramping up its election interference efforts as Election Day nears, working specifically to help Trump defeat Harris – and trying to sway down-ballot elections as well.
Contributing: Michael Collins, David Jackson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran hacked Trump. Then tried to give the info to Biden’s campaign
