X blocks links to hacked Trump campaign docs about JD Vance

An American journalist has finally published a document stolen from the Donald Trump campaign, part of a dossier about JD Vance, Trump’s running mate. However, X is blocking links to the posting.

Ken Klippenstein, an independent journalist who runs a newsletter on Substack, posted the document on Thursday.

This was the first public posting of a file that federal officials say is part of an Iranian effort to manipulate the fast-approaching US presidential election, although Tehran denies any involvement.

For more than two months, hackers have been trying to persuade major US media organizations – that enthusiastically reported leaks from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 – to cover the stolen documents.

Up until Thursday, no outlets took the bait. But Klippenstein, who used to work for The Intercept, did and explained: “While the news media have paraphrased some of the contents of the dossier, what they haven’t done is provide the American people with the underlying document, in the language in which it appeared, so they can decide for themselves what they think. You decide for yourself.”

The PDF document is a 271-page research file on senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate. Contained in it are what appear to be Vance’s full name, addresses, and part of his social security number.

At least three major news outlets, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, previously received a document from a hacker dubbed “Robert” but did not publish it, saying there wasn’t anything newsworthy in it.

Now, it’s out there. However, at least on the X platform, owned by Elon Musk, links to the hacked dossier are now blocked, and the journalist who published it has been suspended, too.

Searches for posts containing a link to the newsletter now turn up nothing, and on its safety account, X said Klippenstein violated the platform’s rules on posting private personal information.

Ken Klippenstein was temporarily suspended for violating our rules on posting unredacted private personal information, specifically Sen. Vance’s physical addresses and the majority of his Social Security number.

undefined Safety (@Safety) September 26, 2024

Pre-Musk, Twitter’s policy regarding hacked materials stated that posting them was prohibited. The policy is now unclear.

However, the fact that Musk reacted furiously when Twitter banned links to a story by the New York Post about Hunter Biden in 2020 suggests he was against the policy. The billionaire has endorsed Trump and Vance prior to November's vote.