Updated Sep 27, 2024 - Politics & Policy

DOJ charges three Iranians for hacking Trump campaign

Sareen Habeshian

Republican Presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on September 24, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. The former president spoke to attendees on various plans including the tax code, U.S. manufacturing, and future ec — Former President Trump on Sept. 24 in Savannah, Ga. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Three Iranians were charged in connection with a hack targeting former President Trump's 2024 campaign allegedly meant to shape the outcome of the November election, according to an indictment unsealed Friday.

The big picture: Masoud Jalili, Yaser Balaghi and Seyyed Ali Aghamiri were charged with conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer, fraud and several instances of aggravated identity theft, among other counts.

Those charged were allegedly employed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Charges also include conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and eight counts of wire fraud.

Driving the news: The charges stem from an FBI investigation into an anonymous online account that shared stolen campaign documents with reporters. Investigators across multiple agencies quickly linked the intrusion to an alleged Iranian effort to influence American politics.

Context: Microsoft released a report last month warning that Iran-backed hackers had targeted a high-ranking official at an unidentified U.S. presidential campaign with a spear-phishing email in June.

The Trump campaign then accused Iran-backed hackers of stealing sensitive documents, and the FBI confirmed its investigation.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said at the time that the hacked documents were "obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process."

Go deeper: X suspends journalist who shared leaked Vance docs

Editor's note: The story has been updated with additional information on the charges.

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DOJ charges three Iranians for hacking Trump campaign

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