MUELLER PROBE INDICTS 12 RUSSIAN INTEL OFFICERS
A dozen WASHINGTON — Russian intelligence officers have been charged with conspiring to hack Democrats during the 2016 presiden- tial campaign, according to a new indictment in the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The 12 were members of Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU, and are accused of engaging in a sustained effort to hack the computer networks of Democratic organizations and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
It’s important to note that while the hackers did interact
with some Americans in the course of their efforts, none of those Americans has been charged with a crime.
“There’s no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime. There’s no allegation that the conspiracy changed the vote count or affected any election result,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosen- stein, who detailed the new charges at a press conference. “The goal of the conspirators was to have an impact on the
election. What impact they may have had ... is a matter of speculation, that’s not our responsibility.”
The president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said in a Twitter post that Friday’s indictment showed “no Americans are involved,” and he called on Mueller to end the inquiry. “The Russians are nailed,” he wrote.
In a statement, Lindsay Walters, a deputy White House press secretary, also noted that the indictment did not include any allegations of Trump campaign involvement or allegations that the Russian interference affected
the election’s results. “This is consistent with what we have been saying all along,” Walters said.
The announcement comes days before Trump is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. Rosenstein said he briefed Trump earlier this week on the charges.
Just hours before Rosenstein’s announcement, Trump said the special counsel’s investigation was impeding his efforts to get closer to Putin.