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U.S. NEWS Friday 20 September 2024

The FBI says Iran tried to send hacked files to Democrats. It’s

another sign of foreign meddling

By ERIC TUCKER to undercut former Presi-
Associated Press dent Trump’s reelection
WASHINGTON (AP) — When prospects” that was likely
the FBI said this week that authorized by Supreme
Iran had tried to provide Leader Ali Khamenei and
Democrats with material implemented by Iran’s mili-
stolen from Donald Trump’s tary and intelligence ser-
campaign, it was only the vices.
latest allegation of foreign Intelligence officials have
interference with the U.S. said Iran opposes Trump’s
election. reelection, seeing him as
The 2024 presidential cam- more likely to increase ten-
paign is encountering a sion between Washington
spate of efforts by adver- and Tehran.
saries to weaken faith in Trump’s administration
the outcome and poten- ended a nuclear deal with
tially alter the results. While Iran, reimposed sanctions
much of the attention has and ordered the killing of
been focused on Iran, Rus- Iranian Gen. Qassem Solei-
sia is still seen as the biggest mani, an act that prompt-
threat. ed Iran’s leaders to vow
The Biden administration revenge. A Pakistani man
has moved aggressively in who spent time in Iran was
recent weeks to call out recently charged in a plot
the operations in hopes of The seal of the Department of Justice, Aug. 1, 2023, at the Department of Justice in Washington. to carry out political assas-
alerting Americans so they Associated Press sinations on U.S. soil, includ-
remain vigilant to wide- ligence officials disclosed emails looked like a phish- come of the 2016 election. ing potentially of Trump.
ranging, often hidden, for- that Iranian operatives had ing attempt or spam. Though the investigation What other acts of interfer-
eign efforts to influence offered people associated She said the campaign has did not establish a criminal ence have been detect-
their positions on hot-but- with the Biden campaign cooperated with law en- conspiracy, officials did de- ed?
ton positions and the can- information stolen from the forcement ever since being termine that Trump associ- Despite all the news around
didates. Trump side. made aware that Biden as- ates actively welcomed Iran, the U.S. government
A look at the latest devel- The FBI said a few people sociates were “among the the Russian assistance and still regards Russia as the pri-
opment and broader con- connected to Biden’s re- intended victims of this for- hoped to exploit the help mary threat to the integrity
cerns about foreign elec- election effort received un- eign influence operation.” for political gain. That in- of the election.
tion meddling: solicited emails in late June “We condemn in the stron- cludes Trump, who on July The Justice Department an-
What Iran is alleged to and early July, before he gest terms any effort by 27, 2016, memorably said: nounced a pair of criminal
have done dropped out of the race, foreign actors to interfere “Russia, if you’re listening, cases this month that offi-
Iranian operatives stand that contained an excerpt in U.S. elections including I hope you’re able to find cials say expose the lengths
accused of hacking the “taken from stolen, non- this unwelcome and unac- the 30,000 emails that are that Russia is prepared to
Trump campaign and at- public material” from the ceptable malicious activ- missing. I think you will prob- go to influence the elec-
tempting to spread the Trump campaign. ity,” she said. ably be rewarded mightily tion.
internal communications The outreach to both the Trump’s unsupported by our press,” One case involved two
they pilfered. They also media and to Biden cam- claims That was a reference to the employees of RT, a Russian
sought access to the Dem- paign associates suggests Despite the lack of evi- 30,000 emails reportedly state media company, of
ocratic presidential cam- Iran was trying to pull off dence that anyone con- stored on the private server funneling millions of dollars
paign, but there’s no indi- a hack-and-leak opera- nected to the Biden or Har- that Clinton, his opponent, through shell companies to
cation those efforts were tion reminiscent of the Rus- ris campaigns tried to take used as secretary of state. a Tennessee-based con-
successful. sian election interference advantage of the stolen Within hours of his state- tent creation firm to churn
Several media organiza- that was meant to benefit material, Trump has seized ment, Russian hackers for out English-language,
tions said last month they Trump during his 2016 race on the FBI announcement. the first time targeted Clin- pro-Russia videos, which
received apparently stolen against Democrat Hillary He falsely claimed on his ton’s personal office. have generated millions of
information but declined to Clinton. Truth Social platform that Why might Iran be doing views. Right-wing influenc-
publish it. No signs Democrats ac- the Harris campaign had this? ers linked to the Tennessee
Politico, for instance, re- cessed the stolen material been caught “illegally spy- One goal, according to firm, Tenet Media, were
ported that it began receiv- The effort fell flat: There’s ing on me.” U.S. intelligence officials, kept in the dark about
ing emails in July from an no evidence anyone ever “This is real election interfer- is to stoke discord in the the Russian funding and
anonymous AOL account even responded to the ence, not the phony crap United States and to under- worked unknowingly for a
identified only as “Robert” emails. they’ve been trying to pin mine public confidence in company that was a front
that passed along what Morgan Finkelstein, a on me with Russia, Russia, the integrity of an election for a Russian influence op-
appeared to be a research spokeswoman for Demo- Russia for years,” Trump that Tehran sees as conse- eration.
dossier the campaign had crat Kamala Harris’ cam- said in a Wednesday night quential for its own security Another case involved
apparently done on the paign, said in a statement campaign appearance. interests. a Russian government
Republican vice presiden- that the material was not That’s a reference to an FBI It’s also not the first time, scheme to produce AI-
tial nominee, Ohio Sen. JD sent directly to the cam- investigation into whether either. In 2020, American generated content on
Vance. paign but rather to just a the Trump campaign had officials linked Iran to “a bogus news websites that
The latest revelation came few people associated with coordinated with Russian multi-pronged covert influ- masqueraded as legiti-
Wednesday when intel- the campaign and that the operatives to tip the out- ence campaign intended mate outlets.q