Mueller Releases Indictments in Russian Election Interference Probe

Robert S. Mueller, III, director of the FBI from 2001 to 2013.

After months of investigation special counsel Robert Mueller’s office delivered 13 indictments against Russian nationals and three foreign organizations, all relating to the US presidential elections of 2016.

The following are the most jaw-dropping assertions found in the announcement made by the Department of Justice:
The plotters are accused of attending pro-Trump rallies in Florida to implement missions or “tasks.” One of those tasks was to build a cage and have one of their agents dress up as Hilary Clinton and enter the cage to simulate Clinton in jail.

“Defendants and their co-conspirators asked one U.S. person to build a cage on a flatbed truck and another U.S. person to wear a costume portraying Clinton in a prison uniform,” read the indictment.

The defendants also tried to defame additional candidates during the 2016 elections, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. They supported Trump and Sanders, say the charge sheets.

The defendants posed as Muslim Americans on-line, urging “fellow” Muslims to stay away from the election to protest Clinton’s candidacy. In November 2016 they created a social media account called “United Muslims of America,” designed to post messages urging people to stay away from the polls. One post hinted at Clinton’s foreign policy opinions and told people not to vote in the upcoming elections.

“American Muslims [are] boycotting elections today, most of the American Muslim voters refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton because she wants to continue the war on Muslims in the middle east and voted yes for invading Iraq,” they posted.

Investigators also found evidence that the defendants tried to destroy evidence as the FBI narrowed in on their operations.

“We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke),” one defendant wrote to a family member in 2017. “So, I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues.”

The indictment reads that the defendants “destroyed evidence for the purpose of impeding the investigation.” The indictment also includes conspiracy to defraud the United States and aggravated identity theft.

Gail Nussbaum

Gail Nussbaum has been involved in politics and diplomacy for over 15 years. Her interest in foreign relations, economics and budget policy has led her to her position as fiscal policy writer at Left Justified. Gail can be contacted at gailnussbaum(at)leftjustified.com.

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