Trump crows as US indicts 13 Russians for election interference
The US president has leapt on the indictments as ‘proof’ that his campaign staff did nothing wrong, while Moscow has dismissed them as ‘absurd’
Washington — The US special prosecutor investigating Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election on Friday indicted 13 Russians for allegedly running a secret campaign to tilt the vote — prompting claims of vindication from President Donald Trump. The indictment — which includes the first charges laid by special counsel Robert Mueller for election interference — detailed a stunning operation launched in 2014 in a bid to sow social division in the US and influence American politics “including the presidential election of 2016”. Mueller alleges that by mid-2016, the campaign — under the direction of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — became focused on boosting Trump and demeaning his rivals including Democrat Hillary Clinton. It allegedly involved “hundreds” of people working in shifts and with a budget of millions of dollars. Three companies were also indicted. Moscow dismissed the allegations as “absurd”. According to the indictment, member...
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