Mueller considers charges against Russians who leaked emails during the 2016 election
Source: CNBC
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is building a case against the Russians who hacked and leaked private information of several key Democrats during the 2016 election, NBC News reported.
These new charges rely heavily on intelligence gathered by the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and target a different group of Russian actors than those indicted last month, according to NBC.
A possible new indictment would include details on the Russian intelligence operation that released emails stolen from both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, NBC reported. Democratic emails made public through website Wikileaks factored heavily in the 2016 election, embarrassing Democrats and adding fuel to the Trump campaign.
Sources told NBC News that Mueller has long had sufficient evidence to make a case, but has been waiting for a strategic moment.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/01/mueller-considers-charges-against-russians-who-leaked-democrat-emails.html
My favorite line in the story was: "Sources told NBC News that Mueller has long had sufficient evidence to make a case, but has been waiting for a strategic moment."
I love it that he's being so strategic. DT made a monumental mistake when he fired James Comey.
I just found a more detailed NBC piece here:The caution in this article is that charges might not be made for weeks or months, they might be kept under seal -- or some might not be made at all, if needed to protect sources and methods.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/mueller-eyes-charges-against-russians-who-stole-spread-democrats-emails-n852291
Mueller's consideration of charges accusing Russians in the hacking case has not been reported previously. Sources say he has long had sufficient evidence to make a case, but strategic issues could dictate the timing. Potential charges include violations of statutes on conspiracy, election law as well as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. One U.S. official briefed on the matter said the charges are not imminent, but other knowledgeable sources said they are expected in the next few weeks or months. It's also possible Mueller could opt not to move forward because of concerns about exposing intelligence or other reasons — or that he files the indictment under seal, so the public doesn't see it initially.
The sources say the possible new indictment — or more than one, if that's how Mueller's office decides to proceed — would delve into the details of, and the people behind, the Russian intelligence operation that used hackers to penetrate computer networks and steal emails of both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The release of embarrassing Democratic emails through WikiLeaks became a prominent feature in the 2016 presidential election, cited at least 145 times by Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final month of the campaign. At one point he publicly urged "Russia" to find and release emails Trump believed were missing from Democrat Hillary Clinton's private server.
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