The Latest: 13 Russians accused of plot to disrupt election

WASHINGTON

The Latest on the indictments in the special counsel's Russia probe (all times local):

10 p.m.

The U.S. special counsel has accused 13 Russians of an elaborate plot to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, charging them with running a huge but hidden social media trolling campaign aimed in part at helping Republican Donald Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The federal indictment, brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, represents the most detailed allegations to date of illegal Russian meddling during the campaign that sent Trump to the White House.

The Russian organization was funded by a wealthy St. Petersburg businessman with ties to the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin.

Trump is claiming vindication, but the indictment does not resolve the collusion question at the heart of the continuing Mueller probe.

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6 p.m.

A spokesman for Hillary Clinton says the indictments in the special counsel's Russia probe confirm "what we've long known."

Nick Merrill says on Twitter, "Time will tell us more, but Russia went to great lengths to undermine our democracy, & the President won't protect us."

The indictment by federal prosecutors alleges that Russians used bogus social media postings and ads falsely purchased in the name of Americans to sway political opinion during the campaign between Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

Merrill tweets, "No matter your politics, it's un-American. We have an adversary that is laughing at us, who will act again."

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5:20 p.m.

Facebook says it is doubling its security staff to 20,000 and actively working with the FBI to stop election interference by Russians and others.

The company's statement is in response to the indictment of 13 Russians and three Russian organizations by federal prosecutors. The charges shed light on the extent to which Russians manipulated social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Joel Kaplan is Facebook vice president of global policy. He says officials know they have more to do to prevent future attacks, and are committed to staying ahead of deceptive and malevolent activity.

Source: sacbee News