US Charges Iranians with Hacking Attack on Trump Campaign, Reports Reuters

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON – On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department revealed criminal charges against three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, accusing them of hacking into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and attempting to disrupt the upcoming election on November 5.

This indictment represents another action taken by the Biden administration to counter foreign interference in the election between former President Trump, a Republican, and his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris. Iran dismissed these allegations as unfounded.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a news conference that the trio—Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar Balaghi—were actively trying to sabotage Trump’s campaign. "We are seeing increasingly aggressive Iranian cyber activity during this election cycle," he remarked.

According to the indictment, the three individuals utilized fake email accounts to deceive various campaign officials into believing they were communicating with a trusted source. This tactic led officials to click on links that enabled hackers to obtain emails and internal documents, including debate preparation materials and profiles of potential vice presidential candidates. The stolen information was subsequently leaked to media organizations and President Joe Biden’s campaign while he was still running for office.

The charges against them include wire fraud, identity theft, and computer fraud. In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department has announced sanctions against these individuals and several other members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Earlier in August, Trump’s campaign disclosed that it had been hacked by Iranian operatives but claimed that the hackers did not manage to access any private information. Meanwhile, several news outlets reported that they chose not to publish the internal documents offered to them.

The indictment also noted that Biden campaign officials did not accept Trump’s debate preparation materials just before their only debate on June 27, highlighting a significant contrast to the extensive media coverage of hacked communications from Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 election.

The Iranian hacking group, identified as APT42 or Charming Kitten, is known for implementing surveillance software on mobile phones, which allows them to record calls, steal text messages, and activate cameras and microphones without the user’s knowledge, according to research.

The accused individuals are currently in Iran and out of reach of U.S. law enforcement. However, Garland emphasized that the Justice Department has a track record of apprehending international suspects long after charges have been filed, stating, "We will follow these people for the rest of their lives."

Additionally, the Justice Department has indicated that Iran’s activities extend beyond cyber issues. Earlier this month, a Pakistani man allegedly linked to Iran pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges related to a supposed plot to assassinate a U.S. politician as retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian commander in 2020.

While the defendant reportedly named Trump as a possible target, there is no evidence connecting him to the recent assassination attempts.

The Justice Department is also addressing Russian efforts to influence the election, having filed criminal charges and imposed sanctions against employees of a state media outlet for allegedly financing pro-Trump social media influencers in the United States.