U.S. Special Counsel Indicts 13 Russians, Three Firms For Vote Meddling

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. grand jury has indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including one known informally as the "Troll Factory," for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, and on charges including bank fraud, conspiracy, and identity theft.

The charges, announced February 16 by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, are the most significant criminal allegations to emerge to date from Mueller's deepening probe of Russian activities in the United States.

In the court document released by Mueller's office, the jury said that the Russian entities began interfering in U.S. political processes as early as 2014.

The 37-page indictment said some of those charged posed as "U.S. persons" who then communicated with individuals associated with President Donald Trump's election campaign. It said those individuals were "unwitting" in their communications with the Russians.

In comments to reporters after the indictment’s release, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said that there was no indication that the Russian meddling affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential race.

"The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy. We must not allow them to succeed,” Rosenstein said.

Trump, who has downplayed the ongoing criminal and congressional investigations as well as mounting evidence about Russian interference, said the indictment, and Rosenstein's remarks, were further vindication.

"Russia started their anti-U.S. campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!" he wrote in a post to Twitter.

Source: Rferl News