In the summer of 2024, Iranian hackers targeted members of Joe Biden’s campaign by sending unsolicited emails containing stolen material from Donald Trump’s campaign, according to federal law enforcement agencies. The emails, sent in late June and early July, included non-public information from Trump’s campaign, although there is no evidence that the Biden team engaged with or responded to the messages. This cyber attack is part of broader efforts by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.
Kamala Harris’ campaign later confirmed that a few individuals associated with Biden’s campaign were targeted through their personal email accounts. These emails resembled phishing attempts, and no material was sent directly to the campaign itself. The Harris campaign spokesperson, Morgan Finkelstein, stated that they have been cooperating with law enforcement and condemned any foreign interference, particularly from Iran, as unacceptable.
Joe Biden
Despite the lack of response or use of the material by Biden’s team, Trump’s campaign alleged that Biden and Harris might have utilized the hacked information. In a public statement, Trump’s campaign argued that this incident proves Iranian interference aimed at supporting the Democratic candidates. However, a campaign official from Biden’s side clarified that the stolen material was not used in any capacity.
Trump, during a rally in New York, accused Biden of being involved in the hack, though no evidence supports this claim. His remarks came after federal law enforcement agencies clarified that Biden’s team did not use the hacked information. Trump also expressed confusion over what the hackers might have found from his campaign and suggested Iran shared it with the Biden team.
This latest incident follows earlier attempts by Iranian hackers to breach the Biden-Harris campaign, which were unsuccessful. Alongside Russia, Iran has been one of the most active foreign actors trying to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The law enforcement statement also noted that Iranian hackers have continued efforts to share stolen Trump campaign material with U.S. media outlets, echoing tactics used by Russia in the 2016 election to disrupt the electoral process.
In addition to Iran’s actions, Russia has reportedly intensified its own interference efforts, focusing on Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign through online disinformation campaigns. At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, representatives from Microsoft, Meta, and Google detailed their efforts to combat foreign interference on their platforms. However, lawmakers expressed concerns that these companies are not doing enough to address foreign disinformation, with some platforms, like X, failing to participate in the hearing altogether.
