Former US President, Donald Trump, alleges that a hack on his presidential campaign only resulted in the theft of information which is already available to the public, attributing this significant breach to the Iranian government.
This accusation emerged after Politico, a news site, reported receiving anonymous emails packed with internal documents associated with Trump’s campaign, along with a comprehensive investigation file about JD Vance, his running mate.
Donald Trump publicised, on his Truth Social media platform, that Microsoft Corporation informed them of the Iranian government’s cyber attack on one of their numerous websites. He declared, “Although they merely accessed publicly-available details, they should not be engaging in such activities. Iran and other countries will relentlessly continue such attempts, exploiting our frail and ineffective government. This, however, will soon change.”
His claims about Iran and Microsoft substantiate Friday’s Microsoft report which revealed apparent Iranian hackers sending a spear-phishing email in June to a high-profile person of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former seasoned advisor. The report did not reveal the identity of those affected.
It is reported by Politico that an anonymous party, identifying themselves as “Robert”, delivered internal campaign correspondences and a lengthy 271-page research file on JD Vance. Politico verified that this Vance report, evidently associated with the vetting process, was largely based on Vance’s previously accessible records and declarations.
Steven Cheung, campaign spokesperson, made a statement that President Trump aims to put an end to Iran’s reign of terror, as he had done during his initial term at the White House.
This hack, undoubtedly embarrassing and destructive, adds to a series of blows experienced by Trump’s campaign that has recently suffered a significant decline in fortune. Despite being ahead in the polls post the previous month’s Republican national convention, Trump’s attempt to retake the White House faces a tough battle against a beleaguered Joe Biden.
Mr Biden’s unprecedented move to fall back from the race and support vice-president Kamala Harris has stirred an election that was seemingly headed towards a Democratic loss. This gesture has led to a remarkable rise in the popularity of Ms Harris and her new comrade, governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, as per the polls. Consequently, the latest one-on-one surveys reveal her leading over Trump, particularly in the crucial swing states which could potentially determine the results of the November election.
The New York Times revealed a poll on Saturday that demonstrated Ms Harris’s four-point lead over Mr Trump in all three critical Rust Belt states – Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which have been a primary target of both campaigns.
A fresh poll has indicated that vice-president Harris holds more trust among the American populace with regards to managing the US economy compared to Donald Trump. This result is a significant shift in public sentiment post Mr Biden’s race withdrawal. The Financial Times along with the University of Michigan Ross School of Business conducted this survey, and it’s the first of its kind to display the Democratic presidential candidate overtaking Mr Trump in terms of economic management since these polls began about a year ago. – Guardian