Trump campaign reports 270-page dossier on Vance's 'vulnerabilities' hacked, suggests Iranian involvement

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump's campaign has accused Iran of conducting a hack-and-leak operation, which came to light on Saturday, August 10, with the release of a 270-page dossier.

This document outlines the "vulnerabilities" of Ohio Senator JD Vance and was sent to Politico, along with another file pertaining to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, from an AOL.com email address.

This comes shortly after Microsoft disclosed that Iran has apparently intensified its online activities aimed at impacting the upcoming US election.

Donald Trump campaign spokesperson confirms that 'documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources'

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung confirmed the hack-and-leak operation after Politico published a report, stating that it had received anonymous emails containing documents from within the former president's campaign operation.

The campaign referenced a Microsoft report, published on Friday, which stated that a presidential campaign was the target of an email phishing attack in June, as per various sources.

"These 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," said Cheung.

He added, "On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a ‘high ranking official’ on the US presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump’s selection of a vice presidential nominee." 

"The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House," claimed the Trump campaign spokesperson. 

Cheung declined to comment on the existence of additional evidence implicating Iran.

According to him, the hack was carried out "after recent reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump around the same time as the Butler, PA tragedy." 

On July 13, Trump sustained injuries during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, a town in western Pennsylvania.

JD Vance's record and 'potential vulnerabilities' were released in hack-and-leak operation

Politico reported that it began receiving purported correspondence from a "senior Trump campaign official" on July 22, which involved reviewing documents related to Donald Trump's selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential choice.

The documents, confirmed by insiders as authentic to Politico, detailed Vance's record, past statements, and "potential vulnerabilities," dating back to February.

The emails originated from an anonymous AOL account belonging to an individual who identified himself solely as "Robert." Upon inquiry about how he acquired the sensitive materials, his response was foreboding.

"I suggest you don’t be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question, will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them," wrote the person, as per Politico.

US intelligence has reportedly uncovered more evidence suggesting that Iran is plotting retaliation against Trump for the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Trump has asserted that Soleimani orchestrated attacks on US troops in the Middle East, leading to hundreds of casualties.

Iran has refuted the claims that it is involved in online activities aimed at disrupting the US election.

According to a Microsoft report, Iran has established counterfeit news websites and mimicked activists in efforts to influence voters, especially in swing states, although it did not specify which "high-ranking official" was compromised.

Internet reacts as Donald Trump's campaign confirms data breach and blames it on Iran

Soon after the news of the hack-and-leak operation came to light, netizens took to social media to share their thoughts. 

One wrote, "Well, if they're stupid enough to have anything hackable that could be damaging then they deserve it," and another said, "Surprised he didn't blame the Democrats for it."

"That bum is lying," claimed a person, with an individual saying, "The new propaganda. Blame Iran for everything." 

Another person remarked, "He lies so much no one believes him when he is telling the truth (may be)," while someone else echoed, "He and his family lie about everything..lol." 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.