An American journalist published a document believed to be stolen from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, which federal officials say is part of an Iranian effort to manipulate the U.S. election. The 271-page PDF document is opposition research on former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance. Hackers tied to Iran have been trying to get American media to cover files they stole for over two months without success until now, when the independent journalist published it on Substack. This incident reflects how high-profile independent journalists can impact state-sponsored hacking operations aimed at influencing elections. The dissemination of the Vance file is compared to how Russian intelligence leaked files from Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.
Three major news outlets and two independent journalists previously received the Vance dossier but did not publish it. The hack and leak operation apparently took place in June and involved the distribution of unpublished Trump documents by an AOL account signed by someone using the name “Robert.” Iranian officials deny involvement in the hack, with U.S. agencies attributing it to Iran. The Director of National Intelligence has said Iran seeks to damage Trump’s candidacy, while the Trump campaign has accused Iran of hacking but not shared details.
The journalist who published the document has faced backlash from X, with accounts sharing links to his post being blocked and his account being suspended for violating rules on sharing unredacted private information. The journalist defended his decision, stating he stands by it on principle. The platform Substack has not yet commented on the incident.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
