The Trump campaign confirmed a cyberattack after Politico received a series of stolen documents on Saturday. While the campaign suspects Iran may be behind the hack, they have not disclosed specific details about the perpetrator.
Politico reported that the campaign pointed to “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” referencing a Microsoft report from Friday.
The report indicated that Iranian hackers had sent a spear-phishing email in June to a high-ranking official in a presidential campaign. Microsoft did not identify the targeted campaign and declined to comment further. Politico has not independently verified the hacker’s identity or motives, and Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung declined to provide additional information to support the campaign’s suggestion of Iranian involvement.
Cheung stated, “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.” He mentioned the Microsoft report, noting that the hacking incident occurred around the time President Trump was selecting his vice-presidential nominee. However, Cheung did not confirm if the campaign had contacted Microsoft for verification.
Politico claims it began receiving the emails in late July. According to their report, on July 22, they started receiving emails from an anonymous account identified only as “Robert,” using an AOL email address. The emails contained what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official, including a research dossier on Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, dated February 23.
The dossier, reportedly 271 pages long, detailed Vance’s past record and statements, highlighting potential vulnerabilities, such as his previous criticisms of Trump. Another part of the research document focused on Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was also a finalist for the vice-presidential nomination.
When Politico asked the hacker how the documents were obtained, the individual replied, “I suggest you don’t be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them.”