- Justice Department charges three Iranian agents with campaign hacking
- And the US attorney general said officials were “pursuing Iran’s lethal plot.”
- READ MORE: Follow all the political events of the day in our live blog
US security officials are still tracking Iranian plots to kill Donald Trump and other high-profile figures, according to the country’s top law enforcement official.
Attorney General Merrick Garland provided an update Friday on Tehran’s efforts to disrupt the 2024 elections, as charges were revealed against three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“There are few actors in this world that pose as serious a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said.
‘Iran’s malign activities are wide-ranging.
“The US government is intensely pursuing Iran’s lethal plot against current and former US government officials, including former President Trump.”
Soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) march in formation during the annual military parade marking the Iraqi invasion in 1980, which led to an eight-year war (1980-1988); in Tehran, Iran, September 21, 2024
Security around the former president was tightened after he survived an assassination attempt in July.
A second alleged assassination attempt was thwarted earlier this month.
There is no evidence that Iran was involved in any of them.
But this week Trump was briefed by security officials about Iranian plots to kill him.
The former president demanded that President Joe Biden threaten to blow Iran into “pieces” if any harm comes to his hands.
“We are working to investigate and disrupt Iran’s financing and support for Hamas Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, and we are working tirelessly to uncover and counter Iran’s efforts to stoke discord, undermine trust in our democratic institutions, and influence our relationships,” Garland said.
Trump’s campaign revealed in August that it had been hacked by Iran.
Several media outlets reported that they had been offered campaign documents but refused to publish them.
Charges against three Iranians were revealed on Friday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced criminal charges against Iranian agents suspected of hacking into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and disseminating stolen information to media organizations.
Garland also said officials were “tracking Iran’s lethal plot against current and former US government officials, including former President Trump.”
The indictment says the three men, all members of the IRGC, participated in a widespread hacking campaign that began in 2020. They attacked American officials, journalists and campaign operatives in an effort to undermine the democratic process.
The indictment says the three men, all members of the IRGC, participated in a widespread hacking campaign that began in 2020. They attacked American officials, journalists and campaign operatives in an effort to undermine the democratic process.
The charges include identity theft, wire fraud and computer fraud.
It reveals how Iran stole debate prep material from the Trump campaign and tried to send it to the Biden camp on the day of the then-first and only debate.
Garland said all three live in Iran, making a prosecution unlikely.
At the same time, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on seven members of the IRGC.
And the State Department said it was offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of the three defendants.
For its part, Iran described the accusations as “baseless and baseless.”