13 Russians Charged over 2016 vote
INDICTMENTS SHOW TRUMP’S ‘RUSSIA HOAX’ COULD BE VERY REAL FOR U.S.
The hackers, he suggested, may have been Chinese. Or some 400-pound guy sitting in his bed. Again and again, he insisted, Russian interference was a hoax, created by Democrats as an excuse for losing an election they should have won.
But Donald Trump’s own Justice Department has concluded otherwise. A 37-page federal indictment of 13 Russians and three Russian organizations released Friday spells out in exhaustive detail a three-year Russian plot to disrupt America’s democracy and boost Trump’s campaign. A “Russia hoax” this was not.
The indictment, signed by special counsel Robert Mueller, and announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — both of whom Trump has at times mused about wanting to fire — reveals that the scope of Russia’s alleged efforts to help Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was extraordinary.
Rosenstein carefully chose his words as he stated, “There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was a knowing participant in the alleged unlawful activity.” But neither he nor Mueller’s office has ruled out any potential collusion in any other plot to disrupt the election.
Trump called for the indictment to mark the end of “outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories” about the election, asserting they “only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions.”
He acknowledged Russia’s election interference while minimizing its impact. “The results of the election were not impacted,” he tweeted. "The Trump campaign did nothing wrong — no collusion!
“We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections."
According to the charges, Russian operatives spread pro-Trump and antiClinton propaganda. They posed as Americans to co-ordinate and infiltrate political activities. They organized grassroots rallies.
Mitt Romney has announced he is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Utah in a move that could cause significant divisions within Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Romney, the party’s presidential candidate in 2012, has regularly criticized the president. He announced his Senate bid with a dig at Trump’s immigration proposals, saying Utah “welcomes legal immigrants from around the world.” A former Massachusetts governor, the 70-year-old Mormon is expected to coast to victory.