The former President Donald Trump's campaign has confirmed that their internal communications were hacked, according to a statement released on Saturday. This acknowledgment follows the receipt of emails by POLITICO from an anonymous account, containing documents from inside Trump's operation. The campaign has attributed the breach to "foreign sources hostile to the United States," citing a recent Microsoft report on Iranian hackers targeting a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.

While Microsoft did not disclose the specific campaign targeted by the phishing email, it refrained from commenting on the matter. POLITICO has not independently verified the identity of the hacker or their motives. Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, declined to provide further information on whether they had evidence linking the hack to Iran. However, Cheung suggested that the intention behind the illicit acquisition of these documents was to interfere with the 2024 election and undermine the democratic process.

The breach was first noticed by POLITICO on July 22, when they began receiving emails from an anonymous AOL account. These emails purportedly contained internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. Anonymous sources, familiar with the documents, have confirmed their authenticity and revealed that they include a research dossier on Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a potential running mate for Trump. Another part of the dossier focuses on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, also under consideration for the vice presidential nomination.

The extensive research dossier, consisting of 271 pages, is primarily based on publicly available information about Vance and Rubio, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in their records and statements. The unidentified hacker claimed to possess an assortment of documents ranging from Trump's legal and court records to internal campaign discussions, without disclosing the source of these documents.

The full extent of the information obtained by the hacker remains uncertain, but it undeniably represents a significant breach of security for the Trump campaign. It should be noted that last month, reports emerged regarding Iran's alleged plots to retaliate against Trump's decision to order the assassination of Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Although there is no evidence linking the recent shooting incident at a Trump rally to these plots, campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung referenced these reports, affirming Trump's firm stance against Iranian threats.

As of now, there has been no response from Iranian government officials regarding the campaign's allegations. It is worth mentioning that in the 2016 presidential election, top Democratic Party officials fell victim to a hacking incident, which led to the public release of compromising emails. National security officials later attributed this cyber attack to Russia. However, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation concluded that neither Trump nor his campaign conspired with Russian operatives.

The Trump campaign's acknowledgement of the breach highlights the ongoing threat of cyber attacks on political campaigns and raises concerns about the safeguarding of sensitive information. Investigations are likely to be initiated to determine the origins of the hacking incident and assess the impact it may have on the upcoming 2024 election.