Reuters: Hackers Linked to the Islamic Republic Released Stolen Emails from Trump's Campaign

Reuters has reported that a hacking group associated with the Islamic Republic has released stolen materials related to Donald Trump's campaign. After failing to publish the stolen content in mainstream media, the hackers found other sites for dissemination. Initially, they contacted media outlets such as Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, claiming to have internal information from Trump's campaign that could raise new allegations against the Republican candidate in the U.S. elections. In recent weeks, the hackers began sending Trump's campaign emails to a Democratic political group that has published a collection of materials on its website called 'American Muckrakers' and shared them with several independent journalists, at least one of whom posted the content on the 'Substack' platform. The materials contain correspondence from Trump's campaign with advisors and other supporters, covering a wide range of topics. Reuters has reported that despite the U.S. Attorney's indictment against three Iranians linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for targeting members of Trump's campaign, the Islamic Republic is determined to interfere in the U.S. elections. The indictment identifies three individuals, Massoud Jalili, Seyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasser Balaghi, as members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The indictment states that a hacking group associated with the Iranian regime, known as 'Mint Sandstorm' or 'APT 42', stole passwords from several Trump campaign staff members between the months of Ordibehesht and Khordad. The hackers, using a fake identity 'Robert', did not directly address the allegations made by the U.S. in their conversation with Reuters, with one stating, 'Do you really expect me to respond?' The Iranian representation at the United Nations issued a statement declaring that reports of Iran's involvement in hacking the U.S. elections are 'baseless and completely unacceptable.' According to Reuters, the FBI, which is investigating the Islamic Republic's hacking activities against both U.S. presidential campaigns in the upcoming elections, declined to comment. David Wheeler, founder of 'American Muckrakers', told Reuters that the documents shared on their site are credible and in the public interest. Wheeler stated that his goal was to expose 'the level of frustration within the Trump campaign in their efforts to win' and refrained from discussing the source of the materials. Trump's campaign announced earlier this month that the Islamic Republic's hacking operation was 'intended to interfere in the 2024 elections and create chaos throughout the democratic process in America.' Trump's campaign emphasized that any journalist who publishes this material is acting in the interests of 'America's enemies.' Yujad Legam, a journalist and writer of a political newsletter, reported earlier this month based on a collection of 'special and confidential' documents emailed to him by someone named 'Robert' about the continued efforts of the Islamic Republic to hack Donald Trump's campaign headquarters. Microsoft stated on Wednesday, November 2, that a hacking group linked to the Islamic Republic is continuously searching U.S. news sites and media ahead of the elections. Experts believe these searches could be 'preparations for more direct infiltration operations.' The report notes that the hackers, whom Microsoft referred to as 'Cotton Sandstorm' or 'Shifting Sands', are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and have examined several 'election-related sites' in some swing states in the U.S. that were not named. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council emphasized that the Biden administration 'strongly condemns any foreign government or entity attempting to interfere in our election process or seeking to undermine trust in our democratic institutions.'