An Iran-linked cyber group is threatening to release a trove of emails it claims to have stolen from top Trump officials and allies.
The hackers previously released a batch of stolen emails to the media during the 2024 campaign.
Under the pseudonym Robert, the hackers first told Reuters they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump confidante Roger Stone, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan and Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims to have had an affair with Trump.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the hack an ‘unconscionable cyberattack’ and said government agencies would work to ‘protect the officials targeted by this rogue group.’
FBI Director Kash Patel added in a statement, ‘Safeguarding our administration officials’ ability to securely communicate to accomplish the president’s mission is a top priority.’
‘Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
Marci McCarthy, spokesperson for the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency, called Iran’s threat ‘an effort to distract, discredit and divide.’
‘These criminals will be brought to justice,’ she said in a statement. Let this be a warning to others there will be no refuge, tolerance or leniency for these actions
‘A hostile foreign adversary is threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit and divide. This so-called ‘cyber attack’ is nothing more than digital propaganda, and the targets are no coincidence. This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants.’
Last summer, at the height of the 2024 election, Iranian-linked hackers sent material stolen from the Trump campaign to individuals associated with the Biden campaign and to U.S. media organizations. In an indictment in September, the Biden Justice Department accused three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of being behind the leak.
In May, the hackers behind ‘Robert’ signaled to Reuters they would not be leaking any more documents. ‘I am retired, man.’
However, the group reached back out after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear sites. They said they were organizing a sale of the stolen communications and asked Reuters to publicize it.
U.S. cyber officials warned on Monday that U.S. companies and critical infrastructure operators may still be in Iran’s crosshairs. Experts have suggested Iran may be looking for non-military ways to punish the U.S. for its strikes.
‘Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity,’ U.S. agencies said in an advisory.
The new threat comes as Trump insists he is not speaking to Iran and has offered them nothing for nuclear negotiations. He has said Iran’s facilities were ‘totally obliterated.’
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
