Thirteen Russian nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election — including supporting Donald Trump's campaign and "disparaging" Hillary Clinton, special counsel Robert Mueller announced Friday.
The indictments — part of Mueller's ongoing investigation — are the first tied directly to Russian meddling in the race for the White House.
"Some defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities," the indictment says.
Some of those charged also "posted derogatory information" about candidates in the Republican primaries, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and supported Bernie Sanders and Trump. By the time of the general election, the Russians' efforts included "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton," the indictment says.
Read the full indictment here
Trump, in responding to the indictment, tweeted that the interference efforts began before he announced his presidential bid and that his campaign "did nothing wrong." An official statement issued by the White House said the president was glad the investigation indicates there was "NO COLLUSION" between the campaign and Russia, but the indictments did not clear the campaign.
Thirteen Russian nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election — including supporting Donald Trump's campaign and "disparaging" Hillary Clinton, special counsel Robert Mueller announced Friday.
The indictments — part of Mueller's ongoing investigation — are the first tied directly to Russian meddling in the race for the White House.
"Some defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities," the indictment says.
[13 Russians indicted with charges of interfering in 2016 U.S. election]
13 Russians indicted with charges of interfering in 2016 U.S. election 2:42
Some of those charged also "posted derogatory information" about candidates in the Republican primaries, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and supported Bernie Sanders and Trump. By the time of the general election, the Russians' efforts included "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton," the indictment says.
Read the full indictment here
Trump, in responding to the indictment, tweeted that the interference efforts began before he announced his presidential bid and that his campaign "did nothing wrong." An official statement issued by the White House said the president was glad the investigation indicates there was "NO COLLUSION" between the campaign and Russia, but the indictments did not clear the campaign.
At a news conference, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the defendants allegedly "conducted what they called 'Information Warfare' against the United States, with the stated goal of spreading distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general."
Rosenstein also said that "there is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity" or that the outcome of the 2016 election was affected. The statement appeared to leave open the possibility that further indictments may be coming against others.
Some defendants traveled to America to collect intelligence and to reach a significant "number of Americans for purposes of interfering with the U.S. political system, including the presidential election of 2016," the indictment says.
Source: Nbcnews News
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