Guccifer 2.0 hacked the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and leaked the documents directly to the Hill, revealing efforts by Democrats to affect House races in Pennsylvania.
The documents show an effort by the DCCC to prevent Mike Parrish from winning the Democratic Party primary in a highly contested race in Pennsylvania, the Hill reported. The DCCC actively sought out three candidates for races in congressional districts six, seven, and eight.
The documents released to the Hill include information on vetting, internal polling, and monthly updated versions of a DCCC memo to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on the progress of the races.
In district six, the DCCC targeted small business owner Marian Moskowitz, who had run in 2014 for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a challenger to Parrish. Parrish served as an Army Aviator for 14 years and then founded an environmental services company.
The effort to replace Parrish happened between December 2015 and January 2016.
Parrish ultimately won the primary and is running against incumbent Rep. Ryan Costello (R., Pa.)
The hacked cache includes at least five documents related to Pennsylvania that were originally published on the Guccifer 2.0 blog. Guccifer 2.0 is widely believed to be a cover for Russian intelligence.
"National security experts are in wide agreement that Russian state actors have conducted a massive cyber attack against key Democratic organizations, including the DCCC. The Committee is cooperating with federal law enforcement in their ongoing investigation," DCCC National Press Secretary Meredith Kelly told the Hill in a written statement.
There is no clear motive for Guccifer 2.0’s latest release, but it is among a series of leaks that include DNC strategy documents, personal information of donors, and contact information for congressional Democrats.