Independent journalist publishes Trump campaign document hacked by Iran despite election interference concerns

An American journalist who runs an independent newsletter published a document Thursday that appears to have been stolen from Donald Trump's presidential campaign — the first public posting of a file that is believed to be part of a dossier that federal officials say is part of an Iranian effort to manipulate the U.S. election.

The PDF document is a 271-page opposition research file on former President Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

For more than two months, hackers who the U.S. says are tied to Iran have tried to persuade the American media to cover files they stole. No outlets took the bait.

But on Thursday, reporter Ken Klippenstein, who self-publishes on Substack after he left The Intercept this year, published one of the files.

"If the document had been hacked by some 'anonymous' like hacker group, the news media would be all over it. I'm just not a believer of the news media as an arm of the government, doing its work combating foreign influence. Nor should it be a gatekeeper of what the public should know," he wrote.

Publication of the document reflects how a shifting media ecosystem featuring more high-profile independent journalists on platforms like Substack can influence the ability of state-sponsored hackers to carry out election influence operations. 

In an interview, Klippenstein said: "It's been a vibes election. They are so vague on policy. There's so few specifics, and something like this can give you some sense of what the campaign thinks." 

At least three major news outlets and two independent journalists previously received a document described as a JD Vance dossier but did not publish it, citing what they have described as a lack of newsworthy information in it. 

The dissemination of the