(DCWatchdog.com) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other intelligence agencies concluded that Iran was behind the hacking of former President Donald Trump’s campaign and has tried to disrupt Kamala Harris’ campaign as well.
The FBI released a joint statement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency:
“We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting Presidential campaigns. This includes the recently reported activities to compromise former President Trump’s campaign, which the [intelligence community] attributes to Iran.”
The statement also mentioned that Iran has “sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties.”
“Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process,” the agencies wrote.
While the Trump campaign claimed earlier this month that it had been hacked by Iran, the intelligence community had not yet provided details on who was responsible.
Moreover, the intelligence community has frequently highlighted Iranian efforts to influence the election, noting that Iran and China are increasingly following Russia’s lead in spreading disinformation and creating division among Americans ahead of the election.
“Iran perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests, increasing Tehran’s inclination to try to shape the outcome,” the agencies asserted.
Earlier this summer, reports indicated that Iran had also planned to assassinate former President Trump, but Iran has denied any involvement in both the hacking and the assassination plot.
“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing,” a spokesman for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations stated.
“As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the U.S. presidential election. Should the U.S. government genuinely believe in the validity of its claims, it should furnish us with the pertinent evidence—if any—to which we will respond accordingly.”
Although the intelligence community condemned Iran’s actions, it did not specify whether the U.S. plans to retaliate.
“We will not tolerate foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections, including the targeting of American political campaigns,” the agencies said.
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