13 Russians charged in plot to interfere with U.S. presidential election
Posted February 16, 2018 2:11 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thirteen Russians and three Russian entities have been charged with an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 U-S presidential election.
The indictment brought by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller alleges that Russians used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to sway political opinion during the race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The charges are the most direct allegation to date of illegal Russian meddling in the election.
The indictment says the goal was to “sow discord in the U-S political system, including the 2016 presidential election.”
Charges include conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The charges arise from Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the election and whether there was improper co-ordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Before today, four people, including Trump’s former national security adviser and former campaign chairman, had been charged in Mueller’s investigation.
The White House had no immediate response to the indictment.
