Garland vows to thwart foreign election interference ops as DOJ charges Iranians over Trump hack

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday vowed to thwart foreign efforts to interfere in the U.S. election after the Justice Department brought charges against a group of Iranians who allegedly hacked the Trump campaign.

The DOJ on Friday filed an indictment of three Iranian nationals for hacking the Trump campaign and distributing its emails to news outlets. All three individuals charged are reportedly members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, NBC News reported.

"We will use every tool we have to counter and disrupt the efforts of Iran as well as Russia and China to exploit our democratic system of government," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press conference. 

"The message of the US government is clear: the American people, not a foreign power decide the outcome of [the election], not Iran and its malicious cyber activities as laid bare in today's indictment," he added.

The Trump campaign confirmed in August that the campaign had been hacked.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said at the time.