Politico reported on Saturday that it had received leaked campaign documents, including internal research on Trump's vice presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.

“These documents were illegally obtained from foreign sources hostile to the United States in an effort to interfere in the 2024 election,” a Trump campaign spokesperson said. Politico said it had confirmed the authenticity of the documents.

The campaign's announcement comes a day after Microsoft released a report showing that hackers originating from Iran targeted the campaign of an unnamed US presidential candidate in June.

According to the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), the campaign received a sophisticated phishing email, designed to appear trustworthy in order to lure the target into clicking on a malicious link.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the June hacking effort outlined in the MTAC report “coincided with Donald Trump’s selection of his vice presidential candidate.”

Politico said it began receiving emails in late July from someone identifying themselves only as “Robert” using an AOL email account. According to Politico, the 271-page document about Vance is based on public information about Vance’s record and statements.

The email account also sent a piece of research about Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is also a vice presidential candidate.

Cao Phong (according to Politico, CNN, BBC)