Trump campaign releases 270-page dossier on hacked Vance ‘vulnerabilities’ that suggests Iranian involvement

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump’s campaign has accused Iran of carrying out a hacking and information leak operation that came to light on Saturday, August 10, with the release of a 270-page dossier.

The document details Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s “weak points” and was sent to Politico along with another file on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio from an AOL.com email address.

This comes shortly after Microsoft revealed that Iran had apparently stepped up its online efforts to influence the upcoming US election.

Donald Trump campaign spokesman confirms ‘documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources’

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung confirmed the hack and information breach after Politico published a report saying it had received anonymous emails containing documents from the former president’s campaign.

The campaign cited a Microsoft report released Friday that showed the presidential campaign was hit by an email phishing attack in June, citing multiple sources.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States with the goal of interfering in the 2024 elections and sowing chaos in the entire democratic process,” Cheung said.

He added: “A new report from Microsoft on Friday revealed that Iranian hackers breached the account of a ‘senior official’ of the June 2024 US presidential campaign, which coincides with President Trump’s imminent election of a vice presidential candidate.”

“The Iranians know that President Trump will end their reign of terror, just as he did in his first four years in the White House,” a Trump campaign spokesman said.

Cheung declined to comment on whether there is additional evidence against Iran.

He said the hack was carried out “after recent reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump around the same time as the tragedy in Butler, Pennsylvania.”

On July 13, Trump was wounded in an attempted bombing at a rally in Butler, a city in western Pennsylvania.

Hacking and data breach exposes JD Vance’s record and its ‘potential security flaws’

Politico reported that on July 22, it began receiving correspondence purporting to be from a “senior Trump campaign official.” The correspondence included a review of documents related to Donald Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as vice president.

The documents, whose authenticity was confirmed by Politico’s sources, detailed Vance’s background, past statements and “potential vulnerabilities” dating back to February.

The emails came from an anonymous AOL account belonging to someone who identified himself only as “Robert.” When asked how he had obtained the confidential materials, his answer was ominous.

“I suggest you don’t ask where I got these from. Any answer to that question will compromise me and also legally prevent you from publishing them,” the person wrote, according to Politico.

US intelligence has uncovered further evidence that Iran is planning retaliation against Trump for the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, sources said.

Trump claims Soleimani orchestrated attacks on US troops in the Middle East that have killed hundreds of people.

Iran has rejected accusations it engaged in cyber activities aimed at disrupting the US election.

The Microsoft report said Iran set up fake news sites and imitated activists to influence voters, especially in key states. It did not specify which “high-ranking officials” were targeted.

Internet reacts as Donald Trump campaign confirms data breach, blames Iran

Shortly after news of the hack and data leak came to light, internet users began sharing their thoughts on social media.

One wrote: “Well if they are stupid enough to have anything that can be hacked and could be harmful then they deserve it,” while another said: “Surprised he didn’t blame the Democrats for this.”

“This scoundrel is lying,” the person claimed, while another said: “New propaganda. Blame Iran for everything.”

Another person noted, “He lies so much that no one believes him when he tells the truth (he can),” while another echoed, “He and his family lie about everything… lol.”

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