Deputy A.G.: Iranian Hackers Were Part of ‘Foreign Influence Campaign’, Their Intent Was to ‘Undermine’ Trump

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated that the indicted Iranian hackers “were engaging in a malign foreign influence campaign.” And the intent of the hackers “is to undermine the campaign of former President Trump in advance of the election.”

Co-host Kailey Leinz asked, “If we could begin with just the charges that were unveiled today and these specific actors who have now been indicted, what do you know about the intentions of them, is this part of a wider effort Iran is using to turn the tide against Donald Trump in this election?”

Monaco responded, “What we’ve announced today are charges against three Iranian hackers who were engaging in a malign foreign influence campaign. The charges we have laid out today and announced today lay out a years-long hacking campaign, targeting current and former government officials, targeting journalists, and, most recently, targeting U.S. political campaigns. As you indicated, these charges include discussion and laying out of malicious cyberactivity that the intelligence community and the FBI [have] previously referenced. These efforts included malicious Iranian cyber actors sending unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with the campaign of President Biden and those emails contained stolen excerpts — excerpts of stolen, non-public material from the Trump campaign. I should point out, Kailey, that there’s no indication that the recipients replied to those emails. To your question about intent, the hackers made clear, in their very own words, and we’ve laid this out in the charging document we unsealed today, and that intent is to undermine the campaign of former President Trump in advance of the election.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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