Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) accused the Biden administration of “burying” Iran’s threats against GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in the wake of the recent hacking attack on the Trump campaign and argued that the administration is sending the wrong message to Tehran.
“These plots from Iran are ongoing. And when Biden says nothing, Harris says nothing, the DOJ tries to bury it, what message does Iran get? They get that we can keep trying to take Trump out and have no consequences,” Waltz told Fox News’.
“They tried to hack his campaign or did hack his campaign this week.They’re trying to kill him. And we know from the intelligence community Iran doesn’t want Trump back,” he added.
On Saturday, Trump’s campaign confirmed that some of its internal communications had been hacked. This acknowledgment came after Politico began receiving emails from an anonymous source containing documents purportedly from inside Trump’s campaign operation. The Trump campaign attributed the breach to “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” referencing a recent Microsoft report.
Earlier, on Friday, Microsoft disclosed that Iranian hackers had “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.” While Microsoft did not identify the specific campaign targeted and declined to comment further, the Trump campaign drew a connection between this incident and their own breach.
Several news organisations, such as Politico and the Washington Post, claimed to have obtained Trump campaign materials that seemingly originated from the hack, The New York post reported.
What documents have been leaked
As per Politico, they received certain documents from “Robert” using an AOL email account. The documents consist of what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. The report cited two people familiar with documents as saying that they are authentic. Additionally, Politico received a set of materials pertaining to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who was rumored to be a top contender in the vice presidential selection process.
Among the information provided to these outlets was a comprehensive 271-page document about JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee. The document appeared to be a compilation of publicly available information, intended to vet Vance and assess his potential vulnerabilities. The dossier was prepared by Brand Woodward, a law firm that provides services to several Trump advisers.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said: “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.”
Cheung further linked the timing of the breach with a Microsoft report that noted Iranian hackers had compromised an account of a “high-ranking official” on a US presidential campaign in June 2024, coinciding with the close timing of Trump’s selection of a vice-presidential nominee. However, Cheung did not disclose whether the campaign had been in contact with Microsoft or law enforcement about the breach, stating the campaign would not discuss such conversations.
‘Iran’s motives for wanting Trump dead’
According to Waltz, who holds positions on the House Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs Committees and is rumored to be a potential candidate for a significant foreign policy role should Trump secure victory in the 2024 election, “You have multiple assassination plots from the Iranians. This Pakistani national was recruiting females as spotters. He had recruited hit men and had made a down payment. He was even recruiting protesters as a distraction.”
“Yet, the Department of Justice, when they unveiled the indictment, didn’t even name Trump as the target. They tried to soft-pedal it and just say, oh, it was a politician. So this wasn’t an isolated incident in Butler, Pa,” he added.
It is a widely held belief that Iran seeks retribution against Trump for his role in ordering the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020. The Trump administration claimed that Soleimani was “developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” The New York post reported.
US officials have long maintained that Soleimani played a role in distributing improvised explosive devices responsible for the deaths and severe injuries of thousands of US soldiers during the Second Iraq War.
Moreover, the strike occurred amidst a series of provocative actions taken by Iran in the region, some of which Trump did not retaliate against.
Waltz argued that Iran’s motives for wanting Trump dead are clear. “He held them accountable. And you overlay that with, how has Biden and Harris treated Iran? Well, Iran knows that they’re sympathizers,” he said.
What US intelligence said
According to US intelligence officials, Iran has directed its propaganda efforts towards Trump. In 2021, a declassified assessment by the director of National Intelligence revealed that Iran targeted Trump during the 2020 election cycle, The New York post reported.
The document stated: “We assess that Iran carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects—though without directly promoting his rival,” adding that “We assess that Supreme Leader Khamenei authorized the campaign.”
Tehran has officially denied the accusations of interfering in US elections.
“These plots from Iran are ongoing. And when Biden says nothing, Harris says nothing, the DOJ tries to bury it, what message does Iran get? They get that we can keep trying to take Trump out and have no consequences,” Waltz told Fox News’.
“They tried to hack his campaign or did hack his campaign this week.They’re trying to kill him. And we know from the intelligence community Iran doesn’t want Trump back,” he added.
On Saturday, Trump’s campaign confirmed that some of its internal communications had been hacked. This acknowledgment came after Politico began receiving emails from an anonymous source containing documents purportedly from inside Trump’s campaign operation. The Trump campaign attributed the breach to “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” referencing a recent Microsoft report.
Earlier, on Friday, Microsoft disclosed that Iranian hackers had “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.” While Microsoft did not identify the specific campaign targeted and declined to comment further, the Trump campaign drew a connection between this incident and their own breach.
Several news organisations, such as Politico and the Washington Post, claimed to have obtained Trump campaign materials that seemingly originated from the hack, The New York post reported.
What documents have been leaked
As per Politico, they received certain documents from “Robert” using an AOL email account. The documents consist of what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. The report cited two people familiar with documents as saying that they are authentic. Additionally, Politico received a set of materials pertaining to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who was rumored to be a top contender in the vice presidential selection process.
Among the information provided to these outlets was a comprehensive 271-page document about JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee. The document appeared to be a compilation of publicly available information, intended to vet Vance and assess his potential vulnerabilities. The dossier was prepared by Brand Woodward, a law firm that provides services to several Trump advisers.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said: “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.”
Cheung further linked the timing of the breach with a Microsoft report that noted Iranian hackers had compromised an account of a “high-ranking official” on a US presidential campaign in June 2024, coinciding with the close timing of Trump’s selection of a vice-presidential nominee. However, Cheung did not disclose whether the campaign had been in contact with Microsoft or law enforcement about the breach, stating the campaign would not discuss such conversations.
‘Iran’s motives for wanting Trump dead’
According to Waltz, who holds positions on the House Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs Committees and is rumored to be a potential candidate for a significant foreign policy role should Trump secure victory in the 2024 election, “You have multiple assassination plots from the Iranians. This Pakistani national was recruiting females as spotters. He had recruited hit men and had made a down payment. He was even recruiting protesters as a distraction.”
“Yet, the Department of Justice, when they unveiled the indictment, didn’t even name Trump as the target. They tried to soft-pedal it and just say, oh, it was a politician. So this wasn’t an isolated incident in Butler, Pa,” he added.
It is a widely held belief that Iran seeks retribution against Trump for his role in ordering the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020. The Trump administration claimed that Soleimani was “developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” The New York post reported.
US officials have long maintained that Soleimani played a role in distributing improvised explosive devices responsible for the deaths and severe injuries of thousands of US soldiers during the Second Iraq War.
Moreover, the strike occurred amidst a series of provocative actions taken by Iran in the region, some of which Trump did not retaliate against.
Waltz argued that Iran’s motives for wanting Trump dead are clear. “He held them accountable. And you overlay that with, how has Biden and Harris treated Iran? Well, Iran knows that they’re sympathizers,” he said.
What US intelligence said
According to US intelligence officials, Iran has directed its propaganda efforts towards Trump. In 2021, a declassified assessment by the director of National Intelligence revealed that Iran targeted Trump during the 2020 election cycle, The New York post reported.
The document stated: “We assess that Iran carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects—though without directly promoting his rival,” adding that “We assess that Supreme Leader Khamenei authorized the campaign.”
Tehran has officially denied the accusations of interfering in US elections.
