An American journalist published a 271-page opposition research file on Sen. JD Vance, believed to be part of a dossier stolen from Donald Trump’s campaign by Iranian hackers. The document was previously rejected by major news outlets for lacking newsworthy content. The publication of the file by the journalist highlights the influence of independent journalists on platforms like Substack in the media landscape. The dissemination of the Vance file is similar to Russian operations during the 2016 election. The hacked documents received by reporters were sent via an AOL account by someone named “Robert,” who has not disclosed their identity or motives. The Trump campaign attributed the hack to Iran, and U.S. agencies have publicly blamed Iran for the distribution of the files. Iranian officials deny any involvement in the hack. The journalist who published the file faced consequences from the platform X, which suspended his account for violating their rules. Despite this, the journalist defended his decision to publish the file. The incident reflects the challenges posed by foreign hacking and influence operations in the digital age and raises questions about the role of social media platforms in regulating such content.
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