Reactions to Russian indictments in 2016 U.S. election meddling probe

 “We have known that Russians meddled in the election, but these indictments detail the extent of the subterfuge. These Russians engaged in a sinister and systematic attack on our political system. It was a conspiracy to subvert the process, and take aim at democracy itself. Today’s announcement underscores why we need to follow the facts and work to protect the integrity of future elections.”

- House Speaker Paul Ryan in a statement

“For all those who have been asking ‘where is the evidence of a crime?’ - this is it. This is the criminal conspiracy. This is what President Trump and his allies have repeatedly called a ‘hoax’ and ‘fake news.’ Today’s indictment shows precisely how the Russians worked to help the Trump campaign, in startling and extensive detail.”

- Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings in a statement

“Mueller just put Moscow on notice. This ought to be a wakeup call to Washington: Putin’s shadow war is aimed at undermining Americans’ trust in our institutions. We know Russia is coming back in 2018 and 2020 - we have to take this threat seriously.”

- Republican Senator Ben Sasse in a statement, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin

“The Putin regime presents a pressing threat to American interests, including through Moscow’s long-running influence operations against the United States. The House Intelligence Committee has been investigating these threats for many years: in 2014 - the year the Russians began their operation targeting the 2016 elections — I warned about Russia’s worldwide influence operations. In April 2016 I stated that the United States’ failure to predict Putin’s plans and intentions is ‘the biggest intelligence failure that we’ve had since 9/11.’ Although the Obama Administration failed to act on the Committee’s warnings, it’s gratifying to see that Russian agents involved in these operations have now been identified and indicted.”

- Republican Representative Devin Nunes in a statement

“I‘m glad the administration is acting, based on the ongoing work of the special counsel, to hold Russia accountable. We’ve long known Vladimir Putin has been using an arsenal of trolls, disinformation and propaganda to try to undermine western democracies – including the United States. Putin doesn’t care whether we’re Democrats or Republicans. His goal is to undermine America’s values and our public institutions. More must be done, including with international broadcasting, to counter this threat. Our midterm elections are rapidly approaching, and we must ensure the sanctity of our political process.”

Source: Reuters News