Iranian hackers pretended to be Ginni Thomas as they targeted Trump campaign: report
Iranian hackers who tried to infiltrate former President Donald Trump's campaign pretended to be Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' wife Ginni, according to a new report.
Three hackers with links to the Iranian government impersonated the conservative activist when they targeted people close to the Republican presidential nominee, according to CNN's report based on court documents and law enforcement sources.
The trio — Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri and Yasar (Yaser) Balaghi — stand accused in Washington D.C. federal court of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the report.
Ginni Thomas is not named in the indictment but it notes that hackers sent phishing emails to a former homeland security adviser and former U.S. president under the guise of a justice's spouse in April and May, CNN reported.
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"The hackers had set up a fake email account in Ginni Thomas’ name in April 2020, according to the indictment and law enforcement officials," CNN reported, "but it wasn’t until four years later that they used that account in their efforts."
The hacking operation aimed at Trump's campaign began in May and hackers also attempted to target the Biden-Harris campaign, according to CNN.
Iran has reportedly denied accusations that it tried to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Ginni Thomas frequently makes headlines for her attempts to influence conservative politics as her husband holds one of the most powerful positions within the judicial branch of the U.S. government.
A recent bombshell Pro-Publica report found Ginni Thomas privately praised the conservative First Liberty Institute, a major religious-rights group, for fighting efforts to reform the Supreme Court.
Clarence Thomas also drew scorn for refusing to recuse himself from Trump's presidential immunity claim in his election interference case despite the fact that Ginni advocated to overturn the 2020 election on the former president's behalf.