Former President Donald Trump’s campaign on Saturday said that it had been hacked by an Iranian group in June, “which coincides with the close timing of President Trump’s selection of a Vice Presidential nominee,” Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told NBC News.
The hack was first reported by Politico and NBC News has not independently verified that the hack took place or where it originated. Politico said that it began receiving emails from an anonymous account sharing internal documents from the Trump campaign in July.
The documents included research papers on at least two of the contenders to be Trump’s running mate, including the eventual GOP vice presidential nominee: Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“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,” Cheung said.
Cheung pointed to a Microsoft report released Friday, which said that an “Iranian group, this one connected with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.”
Microsoft did not identify the campaign that was targeted. A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to share details about the incident beyond what was written in their Friday report.
“The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House. Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want,” Cheung added.
The FBI said that it was “aware of the media reporting” but declined to comment further.
A spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations said, “We do not accord any credence to such reports. The Iranian Government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election.”
In its story, Politico wrote that the news organization asked the anonymous emailer about where they got the documents they were leaking and received a reply that said, “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.”
Representatives for Politico did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
