This is going to be a tough pill to swallow for the Trump/Russia collusion diehards.
Friday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for the unregistered interference in U.S. elections.
“From in or around 2014 to the present, Defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other (and with persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury) to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016,” reads the indictment.
The indictment claims these individuals posed as American activists and engaged with “unwitting” US persons in order to fine-tune their strategy. Additionally, several accused individuals committed identity theft, using illegally obtained social security numbers and driver license numbers to bolster the appearance of legitimacy and to place ads on various social media platforms.
A sampling of ads placed:
While Russian operatives may have had a formidable online presence prior to and during the 2016 election cycle, their efforts were not expansive enough to push the needle in any direction.
Not only did the DOJ conclude there was no willing or knowing collusion between any American and Russian operatives, they also concluded Russia’s efforts failed to impact the 2016 election.
During a press conference, Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein said, “There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was a knowing participant in the alleged unlawful activity,” adding “There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.”
The money line from Rosenstein’s statement:
Full indictment here:
Internet Research Agency Indictment Russian Election Interference by Legal Insurrection on Scribd
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