Iranian Interference in US Election: Trump Accuses Kamala Harris of Involvement

Former President Trump has accused Vice President Kamala Harris of being involved in Iranian interference in the 2020 US election, based on claims that Iranian cyber actors sent stolen material from Trump's campaign to individuals associated with Biden's campaign. The Harris campaign denies any direct involvement, while federal agencies have confirmed the targeting of individuals with emails containing stolen materials.

Former President Donald Trump has sparked controversy by accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of involvement in Iranian interference in the 2020 US election. The allegations stem from reports by US intelligence agencies that Iranian cyber actors sent unsolicited emails containing stolen material from Trump's campaign to individuals associated with Biden's campaign in the summer of 2020.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump demanded, "WHEN DOES KAMALA AND HER CAMPAIGN GO BEFORE A GRAND JURY ON IRAN, IRAN, IRAN?" He further stated, "MY CAMPAIGN WHEN THROUGH HELL ON THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE IRAN/KAMALA CAMPAIGN CORRUPTION CASE IS REAL!"

Iranian Interference in US Election: Trump Accuses Kamala Harris of Involvement

The Harris campaign has denied any direct involvement in the matter. In a statement, campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said, "We're not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt."

The allegations of Iranian interference have been confirmed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in a joint statement. The statement revealed that Iranian cyber actors sent emails containing excerpts from stolen non-public material from Trump's campaign to individuals associated with Biden's campaign.

Iranian Interference in US Election: Trump Accuses Kamala Harris of Involvement

However, the agencies also clarified, "There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied." They added that Iranian cyber actors have continued to send stolen materials associated with Trump's campaign to US media organizations since June 2020.

Trump's campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, suggested that the Iranian interference was an attempt to help Harris and Biden because they know Trump would restore tough sanctions on Iran. She demanded that "Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump. What did they know and when did they know it?"

Iranian Interference in US Election: Trump Accuses Kamala Harris of Involvement

The Harris campaign has denied using any hacked material. A campaign official told Fox News Digital, "The material was not used."

The allegations of Iranian interference come within the context of broader concerns about foreign meddling in US elections. Federal authorities have previously thwarted Iranian assassination plots against US politicians, including Trump, Biden, and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Iranian Interference in US Election: Trump Accuses Kamala Harris of Involvement

Earlier this week, a Pakistani man with ties to Iran was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court for allegedly paying undercover agents to carry out assassinations.

The FBI has stated that foreign actors, particularly Russia, Iran, and China, are trying to exacerbate divisions in US society and see election periods as moments of vulnerability. They are increasing their election influence activities as the midterm elections approach in November 2022.