Officials build a criminal case over what they say were Iranian attempts to steal and share campaign data

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Federal authorities are preparing to file criminal charges over Iran’s alleged hack and leak attack against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, according to people familiar with the matter, says a report in the Washington Post.

The FBI investigation has focused on an online persona named “Robert” who contacted American reporters, these people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe details of an ongoing investigation. That persona shared campaign documents they falsely claimed to have obtained while working with the campaign, the people said.

Investigators have determined that the person or persons posing as Robert was acting on behalf of the Iranian government, and offering data files stolen from Trump advisers’ email accounts. Such overtures were made to Politico and The Washington Post. Criminal charges could be filed in a matter of days, these people said. Spokeswomen for the Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment.

Among the hacking targets was adviser Susie Wiles, one of the most senior officials on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Others in Trump’s orbit were also compromised, including campaign advisers, the people familiar with the investigation said.

The FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last month that Iran was responsible for recent attempted hacks into both the Trump and the Biden-Harris presidential campaigns, and Justice Department officials now believe they have enough evidence to file criminal charges.

Campaign staffers received phishing emails that were designed to appear legitimate but could give an intruder access to the recipients’ communications, The Post has previously reported, citing people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive investigation.

“The [intelligence community] is confident that the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties,” the FBI said in August. “Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process.”

The FBI statement said Iran’s government considers the upcoming U.S. presidential election to be consequential for its own interests and wants to try to shape the outcome.

Such tactics are not new. U.S. intelligence officials said in July that Iran’s efforts to stoke societal discord in the United States and undermine Trump’s bid to regain the White House are a repeat of Iranian efforts in 2020. Russia has also led cyberattacks.

“Iran and Russia have employed these tactics not only in the United States during this and prior federal election cycles but also in other countries around the world,” Monday’s statement said.

The FBI began its investigation into suspected Iranian hacking directed at the U.S. presidential campaigns in June, before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee. FBI agents worked with Google and Microsoft, two major providers of email services, to examine what appeared to be a phishing effort targeting people associated with the presidential campaigns, people familiar with the investigation previously told The Post.

FBI and private computer security experts have said Iran was behind spear-phishing emails sent in June to Roger Stone, a longtime informal adviser to Trump. The ruse was successful, and hackers were able to take control of Stone’s email account and send messages with spear-phishing links to others, people familiar with the investigation said. Stone has acknowledged being contacted by the FBI and notified that his emails were hacked.
(Source: Washington Post)