Special counsel Mueller: Russians conducted 'information warfare' against US during election to help

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/russians-indicted-in-special-counsel-robert-muellers-probe.html

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office said Friday that a grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for alleged interference in the 2016 presidential elections, during which they boosted the candidacy of Donald Trump.

The indictment says that the defendants by early to mid-2016 were "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump ... and disparaging Hillary Clinton."

The White House had no immediate comment on the indictments.


The indictment said "the organization," known as the Internet Research Agency LLC, "sought, in part, to conduct what it called 'information warfare against the United States of America' through fictitious U.S. personas on social media platforms and other Internet-based media."

"By in or around May 2014, the organization's strategy included interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with the stated goal of "spread[ing] distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general," the indictment said.

An announcement from Mueller's office said that the government accuses all the defendants of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Three defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

Five defendants are charged with aggravated identity theft.

 

I thought to myself when I saw this story..........maybe now some of the doubters who think all Russia did was spend a small amount of money on fake Facebook accounts will be convinced otherwise.

Then I remembered Trumpettes are in continuous denial of reality.

 

In a 37-page indictment filed in United States District Court, Mr. Mueller said that the 13 individuals have conspired since 2014 to violate laws that prohibit foreigners from spending money to influence federal elections in the United States.

The indictment charges that the foreigners falsely posed as American citizens, stole identities and otherwise engaged in fraud and deceit in an effort to influence the U.S. political process, including the 2016 presidential race.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/...eakingNews&contentID=66535538&pgtype=Homepage

 

To once again borrow from Ben Wittes - "Tic, tic, tic......". I have never really believed collusion, if present, will be the worst of the lying buffoon's problems, LOL, I do believe there are worse things coming for the clown.......we'll see as Mueller presses on.

 

Yup. Don is in trouble on multiple fronts.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/her...tes-from-muellers-indictment-of-russians.html

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday released a surprise indictment of 13 Russian individuals and three Russian entities alleged to have sown discord through "information warfare" in then-candidate Donald Trump's favor during the 2016 presidential election.

The 37-page document outlines specific ways in which Russia, through numerous individuals and organizations, sought to influence the election — from abroad, online and on U.S. soil.

Here are some of the most important quotes:

• The so-called Internet Research Agency, a Russian corporate entity registered in July 2013, "sought, in part, to conduct what it called 'information warfare against the United States of America" through fictitious U.S. personas on social media platforms and other Internet-based media.'"
• The Internet Research Agency "focused on the U.S. population and conducted operations on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter."
• "By in or around May 2014, the organization's strategy included interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with the stated goal of 'spread[ing] distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general.'"
• The defendants sought disruption by staging events for and against Trump after the election: "After the election of Donald Trump in or around November 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used false U.S. personas to organize and coordinate U.S. political rallies in support of then president-elect Trump, while simultaneously using other false U.S. personas to organize and coordinate U.S. political rallies protesting the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election."
• It goes on: "For example, in or around November 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators organized a rally in New York through one organization-controlled group designed to 'show your support for President-Elect Donald Trump' held on or about November 12, 2016. At the same time, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through another organization-controlled group, organized a rally in New York called 'Trump is NOT my President' held on or about November 12, 2016. Similarly, Defendants and their co-conspirators organized a rally entitled 'Charlotte Against Trump' in Charlotte, North Carolina, held on or about November 19, 2016."
• The defendants attempted to discourage African-American turnout in the election: "In or around the latter half of 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through their organization-controlled personas, began to encourage U.S. minority groups not to vote in the 2016 U.S. presidential election or to vote for a third-party U.S. presidential candidate."
• The entity allegedly used an account on Instagram called "Woke Blacks" to post: "'[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing Blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we'd surely be better off without voting AT ALL.'"

 

This stuff is going to drive Don crazy.

 

Well fine, haul those Russians into court, or expel them from the country. Problem solved. Dont blame Trump.

 

But don't you think Don can fairly be criticized for not taking Russian interference seriously enough to do something about future prevention? All because he does not want to admit the Russians were helping him.

 

Trump will be tearing the West wing staff to pieces today. Listen closely and you can probably hear the yelling in Ogallala, Nebraska. I suspect the AG has locked himself in a closet. Meanwhile, Mueller continues to work up the organization chart.

 

Wire and bank fraud?? Identity theft?? Are these ticky tack charges only because he can't charge them with supporting one candidate or another because that is not criminal, unless paid for like the dossier.

 

But the point is they DID support one candidate over another.

 

Another "Friday Dump" unlike Lee Atwater, most informed people have known for years that Russia has attempted to in not been fully involved in attacking and exploiting America's Constitutional government. It was openly revealed during the 20's, 30's, 60's, and especially after the millennium noting the 2008 election of Barack Hussein Obama II.
On the contrary Rosenstein's announcement states that the Russian efforts were against both campaigns Democrat and Republican.
I note the Obama/Romney debate in 2012 where Obama plainly states that Romney was wrong regarding Russia as a Geo-political enemy. Obama was wrong then and still wrong today as has been exposed today by the Mueller indictments. However nowhere in the indictment was it said that the Russians colluded with Trump or his campaign.

https://www.mrctv.org/videos/fnc-sh...80s-are-calling-ask-their-foreign-policy-back

 

~~~~

"There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was engaged in the interference campaign, nor that it changed the result of the election, Mr Rosenstein stressed".
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/russian-troll-factory-charged-with-us-election-interference-11253471

 

Mueller charges 13 Russian nationals with interfering in 2016 election
'Some defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign,' the indictment said.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/16/trump-russia-indictments-mueller-investigation-415667

So, within the scope of this particular indictment any involvement by members of the Drumpf campaign appears to be out of stupidity and or ignoring the warnings of the FBI to report any contacts with Russians.

 

All that right under Obama's nose. Why didn't Obama stop them?

 

Yeah ,operative words "Mueller continues"----If you read the posts, the trump fans are acting like the investigation is "over"-----
one of my questions is---Mueller said " some people unwittingly"-----Well,what about the " willing",like Flynn, Manifort,Page, Popodopolous--& who knows who else,We or at least I just found out about a person I have never heard of-pleading guilty & saying " I have more to tell"

 

Pretty hard to report somebody as being a Russian agent when you don't know they are a Russian agent. Oh and the same group help fund not my president rallies. So who knows maybe one of hard core you hard core lefties inadvertently colluded with Russian agents as well.

 

FBI warned Trump in 2016 Russians would try to infiltrate his campaign

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ans-would-try-infiltrate-his-campaign-n830596

What about the contacts made by folks they did know were Russians? Like Papadopoulos', and Donnie J's? Why weren't those reported?

 

which as I said, is nothing criminal, and criminality is the only thing a prosecutor can do something with. So then prosecutors look for pissant criminality since their objective is simply prosecuting somebody for something -- anything.

 

Trump junior did. Many were masquerading as party activists, with more than adequate cover to get them by the sort of background check low level party activists get.

 

You seem upset that Russians who meddled in the election in support of Don are being charged at all.

"A foreign national spending money to influence a federal election can be a crime," Persily said.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfac...ws-hosts-wrong-no-law-forbids-russia-trump-c/

 

You are going to carry until your dying breath that there is no difference between having contacts with Russians and nefariously and criminally trying to affect elections by working with Russians, at least when Republicans are involved.

 

This is laying the foundation...the best is yet to come. How could Trump possibly vie for Mueller getting fired now? The guy is a true patriot and Trump cannot deny Mueller's validity without totally exposing himself as the butt-hole that he is. IMO...Muller's timing is perfect and lays the groundwork for further indictments.

 

He just mentioned two people who are guilty of attempting the later, not just "having contacts." Junior, Kushner, Manafort and Papadopoulos all met with Russians for the express purpose of getting dirt on Clinton to give them an edge in the election.

 

Simple question. Why didn't the Drumpfsters report those contacts?