The Russian plot thickens

President Trump’s stubborn refusal to accept American intelligence agencies’ assertions about Russian meddling in the 2016 election is now officially obscene. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has brought forward detailed charges against 13 Russian individuals and three Russian businesses for engaging in an expensive, expansive, multi-year attempt to influence American politics.

His indictment lays out persuasive evidence that foreigners stole identities to pose as American citizens. Perpetrated various forms of fraud. Poured money into battleground states. Orchestrated rallies against Hillary Clinton. And more.

In an ordinary world, all this would chasten an American leader who tried to snuff out an earlier iteration of the probe led by then-FBI director Jim Comey, and who has repeatedly called the Mueller investigation a “witch hunt,” and who took at face value Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that his country hadn’t interfered.

It would reanimate a stalled push to punish Russia for its meddling. And light a fire under an administration that is doing little to shore up state election systems.

Instead, Trump seized on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s assertion that “There is no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge” to claim vindication.

Not so. Rosenstein’s was a narrow claim. And we already know of the Trump Tower meeting in which Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign officials invited Russians they believed to be tight with the Kremlin to deliver dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Meantime, the Mueller probe presses on. Earlier this week, the special counsel reportedly reached a cooperation deal with Rick Gates, partner to exTrump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

The heads of America’s intelligence agencies just revealed that the White House has yet to coordinate an all-hands-on-deck effort to block Russian meddling in the 2018 elections. Any day now.