The person allegedly behind the hack shared a 271-page document about JD Vance, Politico reports.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said Saturday it had been hacked, blaming “foreign sources” for the attack, according to a report from Politico. The campaign cited a report from Microsoft on Friday that Iranian hackers “sent a phishing email in June to a senior presidential campaign official.”
Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rolling StoneRequest for comment. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment, citing the company’s aforementioned report and accompanying blog post. According to Politico’s report, the identity of the hacker or the motive behind it has not been independently verified.
“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, with the intent of interfering in the 2024 election and sowing chaos throughout our democratic process,” Cheung told Politico. “On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers compromised the account of a “high-ranking official” in the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the timing of the U.S. presidential election. [former] Cheung declined to confirm to the newspaper whether the campaign had contacted Microsoft or law enforcement about the hack.
The campaign acknowledged Saturday that it had been hacked after Politico reported that it had been receiving emails from an anonymous account containing documents from the Trump campaign starting on July 22. A person named “Robert” shared what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign staffer, including research on Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, from Feb. 23. One source told Politico that the file was an early document related to Vance’s vetting.
The 271-page document included information about Vance’s past statements and records, which also included his criticisms of Trump that were labeled “potential vulnerabilities,” according to the publication’s report. According to Politico, the same person also sent a partial search for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), one of Trump’s running mates at the time.
“I suggest you don’t be curious about where you got this information from. Any answer to that question would put me in a bad light and would also legally prevent you from publishing it,” the person known as “Robert,” who is allegedly responsible for the hack, told Politico when asked how he obtained the information.
It is not yet clear how much information the alleged hacker obtained.
