Special Counsel Robert Mueller has indicted thirteen Russians for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election on behalf of Donald Trump.
Mueller is also charging three Russian organizations in the indictments. Mueller claims the accused used “information warfare” to spread propaganda about the election.
According to CNBC:
“A federal grand jury has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for alleged interference in the 2016 presidential elections, during which they boosted the candidacy of Donald Trump, special counsel Robert Mueller‘s office said Friday.
The indictment says that a Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency sought to wage “information warfare” against the United States by using fictitious American personas and social media platforms and other Internet-based media.
While that effort was launched in 2014, by early to mid-2016, the defendants were “supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump … and disparaging Hillary Clinton,” the indictment charges.
The White House had no immediate comment on the indictment. Under U.S law, foreign nationals generally are barred from federal election efforts.
An announcement from Mueller’s office said that the government accuses all the defendants of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Three defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Five defendants are charged with aggravated identity theft.”
