by Adam Edelman, Julia Ainsley, Ken Dilanian and Tom Winter
Thirteen Russian nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election — including supporting Donald Trump's campaign and "disparaging" Hillary Clinton, special counsel Robert Mueller announced Friday.
The indictments — part of Mueller's ongoing investigation — are the first tied directly to Russian meddling in the race for the White House.
"Some defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities," the indictment says.
[13 Russians indicted with charges of interfering in 2016 U.S. election]
13 Russians indicted with charges of interfering in 2016 U.S. election 2:42
Some of those charged also "posted derogatory information" about candidates in the Republican primaries, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and supported Bernie Sanders and Trump. By the time of the general election, the Russians' efforts included "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton," the indictment says.
Read the full indictment here
Trump, in responding to the indictment, tweeted that the interference efforts began before he announced his presidential bid and that his campaign "did nothing wrong." An official statement issued by the White House said the president was glad the investigation indicates there was "NO COLLUSION" between the campaign and Russia, but the indictments did not clear the campaign.
Source : nbcnews
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