Sources report that a grand jury has indicted several groups of Iranians on charges of interfering with Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
According to three people familiar with the investigation, the federal charges derive from an Iranian operation that allegedly stole internal communications from the Trump campaign over the course of this summer. These sources, however, requested anonymity because they are not allowed to speak publicly about the issue.
The list of defendants’ names and specific charges was not immediately released, as the grand jury secretly approved the indictment Thursday afternoon. The DOJ is expected to announce the indictments as early as Friday. What’s more, the Justice Department and the Trump campaign itself have refused to make any statements about it.
This month, U.S. security agencies issued an ambiguous statement revealing that the Iranians transmitted stolen material from the former president’s campaign to people associated with Biden’s reelection team, which later evolved into the Harris campaign. The statement by the agencies stressed that there is no evidence to indicate that the recipients responded.
“Russia, Iran and China are somehow trying to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit and see election periods as times of vulnerability,” security agencies reported.
Foreign attempts to influence American politics have continued for the past few election cycles. Particularly, in 2016 the Russian government notoriously hacked and leaked Clinton’s campaign emails, causing her not only considerable harm but also her electoral defeat. The Kremlin also conducted an influence campaign on social media aimed at creating discord and bolstering Trump’s candidacy.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, who heads the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said earlier this month that Iran is making a well-targeted effort to influence this year’s election compared to previous cycles, with Iranian activities becoming increasingly aggressive as the election approaches.
“Iran considers this year’s election particularly significant to its national security interests, which increases Tehran’s motivation to try to influence its outcome,” he stated during a speech in New York. Furthermore, this week Trump was briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an attempt to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States”.
