12 Russians charged over Clinton hack
WASHINGTON: Twelve Russian intelligence officers have been charged in the hacking of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and Democratic Party computers, the Justice Department revealed on Saturday.
The indictment obtained by special counsel Robert S. Mueller marked the first time he has charged Russian government officials. It portrays a complex operation, run from an office 3km from the Kremlin, involving fake identities, specially developed malware and determined efforts to penetrate Democratic campaign networks and steal sensitive documents.
The announcement is also the first time anyone has been charged with the theft and public release of private emails that dominated news coverage during key moments of the presidential race, embarrassing Democratic officials and Clinton’s campaign.
The Russians also attacked the US election infrastructure, prosecutors said, hacking websites and computers that handle voter registration. Several counties in Florida, a key swing state, were allegedly targeted as well.
The indictment does not suggest that Russian efforts affected any vote totals.
The indictment could hardly have come at a less opportune time for President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki tonight.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday the allegations were an attempt to ‘‘spoil the atmosphere’’ before the summit. US Deputy Attorneygeneral Rod Rosenstein said the timing had nothing to do with it: ‘‘Our analysis is based solely on the facts, the law and Department of Justice policies,’’ he said.
The indictment did not accuse anyone from Trump’s campaign of conspiring with Russians.
One of the accusations in it does overlap with a controversial statement Trump made during the campaign. On July 27, 2016, at a news conference in Florida, he said: ‘‘Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.’’
According to the indictment, ‘‘on or about July 27, 2016’’, the Russians attempted ‘‘for the first time’’ to hack emails located on Clinton’s private email server.
Sean Spicer, when he was White House press secretary, later described Trump’s statement as a joke. However, Trump repeatedly capitalised on hacked documents during the campaign despite public reports that they were the result of a Russian intelligence operation.
Saturday’s announcement means Mueller’s investigation has now produced criminal charges against 32 people. — TNS