NAPOLITANO

was not appointed until after the election — after the Russians ran unchecked through our computer systems and the American marketplaces of ideas.

The joke in the D.C. legal community this week is, "We all want a front-row seat at the arraignments of the Russians." That's a joke because a defendant must be physically present at his arraignment, meaning — since the Kremlin will surely not send its indicted spies here — no arraignments will occur. And no trials will occur.

These folks the grand jury indicted could be lured to other countries and arrested or even kidnapped there, but that would be very dangerous

and would most likely invite violent retaliation. Even if these defendants ended up in a federal courtroom by murky or illegal means, that would not impair their prosecution.

However, because the American intelligence community has done similar "disinformation" projects in foreign countries (though not on this scale), these defendants and these indictments will go nowhere.

That leaves a question: Why would Mueller seek indictments of folks he knows he cannot prosecute? He did so for a few reasons. One was to reveal the scope of the unlawful activity that he has found. The American people are entitled to know what went on under our noses and who knew about this and looked the other way. As well, this indictment gives credibility to Mueller's work.

The other reason for the indictment is to smoke out any American collaborators. He has identified American collaborators, but not by proper name, and the Department of Justice has said — not in the indictment, in which case it would be bound by what it says, but in a press statement, which binds no one — that the American collaborators were unwitting dupes of the Russians. My guess is that Mueller's American targets are under electronic and visual surveillance and that he is listening to their (premature) sighs of relief.

It is a felony for foreign nationals to participate in American federal elections, and it is a felony for any Americans knowingly to assist them.

This is not the end of these indictments related to the 2016 election. It is the beginning.