Among those targeted by an Iranian cyber attack is Kash Patel, who has been nominated by President-elect Trump to lead the FBI. The extent of any information obtained through this breach remains uncertain, marking Patel as the latest individual associated with the Trump campaign to come under scrutiny from Iran. The news was initially reported by Semafor.
Back in August, the Trump campaign disclosed that it had fallen victim to a hacking effort attributed to Iran, a claim that the U.S. adversary has refuted. Patel, having held various national security positions during Trump’s first term, has openly criticized Iran.
FBI Identifies Iran in Cyberattack Linked to JD Vance Vetting Leak
In a statement, Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, emphasized Patel’s major role in combating the Iranian regime during the first Trump administration, stating that he would enforce Trump’s policies to safeguard America from threats as FBI Director.
The FBI chose not to comment on the situation. Nevertheless, despite Iran’s denials, the FBI has determined that the country was responsible for the attack and has since indicted three individuals linked to what officials described as a “hack and leak” operation.
Iran is alleged to have obtained a vetting document related to Vice President-elect JD Vance and subsequently shared it with several news outlets through an individual using the pseudonym Robert.
