12 Russian Agents Indicted in Mueller Investigation for Hacking Democrats in 2016

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, July 14, 2018

A dozen Russian intelligence officers were issued an indictment for allegedly hacking the Democratic National committee in 2016, as well as stealing sensitive information from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The accusation stemmed from the special counsel team led by Robert Mueller who was looking into possible Russian interference in the latest presidential race.

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced the charges during a news conference on Friday noon, according to the Washington Post. According to the accusations, the 12 agents "covertly monitored the computers, implanted hundreds of files containing malicious computer code, and stole emails and other documents."

"The goal of the conspirators was to have an impact on the election. What impact they may have had... is a matter of speculation; that's not our responsibility," the Deputy Attorney General continued in his announcement.

The indictment came just days before the upcoming one-on-one meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will take place this Monday, July 16, in Helsinki, Finland.

As for Trump, he noted that this timing is part of the partisan issues being set up to hamper his attempts to establish closer ties with the Kremlin. A statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry also claimed that the indictment was another development designed to "spoil the atmosphere before the Russian-American summit," according to the New York Times.

Rudolph Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump's attorney, took to social media to highlight how the indictments "are good news for all Americans."

"No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent," Giuliani wrote on Friday, July 13.

The announcement by Rosenstein stands as the most complete indictment to date issued by the U.S. against an alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential elections. In the 29-page document, Mueller's team detailed how operatives used phishing attacks to break into Democratic operations, sabotage Clinton's campaign and sow discord in the months leading to election day two years ago.