The U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to file criminal charges related to the hacking of the election campaign of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, by the Iranian regime.
Citing two informed sources, The Associated Press reported on Thursday:
“It was not immediately clear when the charges might be announced or whom precisely they will target.”
This action is the result of an FBI investigation into a cyber intrusion that multiple intelligence agencies quickly identified as being orchestrated by the Iranian regime, with the aim of influencing this year’s U.S. presidential election.
The potential criminal charges come as the U.S. Department of Justice warns about efforts by countries including Russia and China, which are seeking to interfere in the November 2024 presidential election, notably through hacking and using covert social media campaigns to shape public opinion.
Matthew Olsen, Assistant Attorney General and senior national security official at the U.S. Department of Justice, stated in a speech in New York that the Iranian regime is making more significant efforts than in previous election cycles to influence this year’s election. As the election approaches, Iran’s activities have become increasingly aggressive.
He also noted that the Iranian regime views this fall’s U.S. election as crucial for its own interests, and this has heightened its desire to shape the election’s outcome.
Previously, U.S. intelligence officials had stated that the Iranian regime’s efforts were aimed at preventing Donald Trump from returning to office. According to them, the Iranian government has decided to use influence campaigns to damage Trump’s efforts.
A U.S. intelligence official had earlier told reporters that the Iranian regime’s preference is primarily a reflection of its unwillingness to escalate tensions with the United States. Iran is opposing a candidate that Tehran’s leaders believe would increase these tensions.
In early September, the U.S. Attorney General warned the Iranian regime against interfering in U.S. elections and undermining American democracy.
On August 10, Trump’s campaign revealed that it had been hacked and stated that Iranian regime agents had stolen and leaked sensitive internal documents.
On Wednesday, a day before the Associated Press report, U.S. prosecutors formally charged a Pakistani national linked to the Iranian regime for attempting to assassinate a U.S. official in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in a statement that Asif Reza Merchant, 46, was allegedly seeking to hire an assassin to kill a U.S. politician or government official inside the United States. U.S. officials have said that he has wives and children in both Iran and Pakistan.
A few days earlier, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley had released FBI documents revealing that Iranian regime-backed individuals were seeking to assassinate several prominent American political figures in connection with the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
