*By Alisha Haridasani* Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation on Friday indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for interfering with the 2016 presidential election. The defendants “used a variety of means to hack the email accounts of volunteers and employees of the U.S. presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, including the email account of the Clinton campaign manager” with the intent to “stage releases of the stolen documents to interfere” with the election, the [indictment](https://www.justice.gov/file/1080281/download) stated. All 12 defendants were identified as officers of GRU, an intelligence agency that functions within the Russian military, making this the first time Mueller’s probe has gone after the Kremlin. Previous indictments have been directed at Russian nationals and companies, as well as several former Trump campaign aides, including Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn. The Russian-orchestrated plan disclosed Friday stopped short of altering the vote count, said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a news conference, reiterating a point that has been repeated by the agency and other intelligence committees multiple times during the drawn-out investigation. "But what this gets to is that this was a misinformation campaign," said Louis Nelson, breaking news reporter at Politico. "Whether minds were changed, whether they were able to sway public opinion, that's the thing that's hard ー maybe impossible ー to quantify." The news dropped just days ahead of Trump’s controversial one-on-one with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Finland, timing that's unusual for the typically nonpartisan agency. "The Justice Department generally, typically, tries very hard to avoid even the appearance of doing anything that might be seen as politically motivated," said Nelson. Mueller's "by-the-book" reputation also adds to the intrigue around the timing of the announcement. "Frankly, it was a bit unexpected for him to have come out today with indictments today against Russian military officials," said Nelson. "Certainly, it changes the context of that meeting in Helsinki." The indictments have prompted some Democrats to call for Trump to cancel the meeting. "There should be no one-on-one meeting between this president and Mr. Putin. There needs to be other Americans in the room," said [Sen. Mark Warner,](https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/mueller-rosenstein-russia-indictments/h_4f0157a3b47ba1bed6b19ce61e38869a) a Democrat from Virginia who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Hours before Rosenstein’s announcement, the president was asked whether he would press Putin about the election meddling. “I will absolutely bring that up,” said Trump, during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the UK. “I don’t think you’ll have any, ‘Gee I did it, I did it, you got me.’ There won’t be a Perry Mason here.” For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/mueller-indicts-12-russian-military-officials-and-what-it-means-for-the-trump-putin-summit)

Share:
More In Politics
State Department Issues First Gender-Neutral Passport
The past decade or so has been a has seen massive change-- usually good-- for the LGBTQ+ community. Same-sex marriage has seen broader acceptance, and there's been increased conversation about the reality of gender identity. Now, folks who don't identify as male or female can travel while staying true to their more authentic self. The Biden administration has issued the first passport with a gender-neutral designation "X." the passport was issued to Dana Zzyym, an intersex activist from Colorado, after a long legal battle with the state department in which Zzyym argued they shouldn't be required to lie about their identity on their passport. Advocates for such changes have applauded the move, saying it will allow people who don't identify as male or female to travel the globe in a more safe and visible way. Paul Castillo, counsel at Lambda Legal and Zzyym's attorney in this case, joins None of the Above to discuss.
Biden Administration Vows To Support Veteran 'Burn Pit' Victims With Better Health Care
The Biden Administration has announced its latest plans to support veterans who had been exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits. According to several veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, a number of them were exposed to hour-long periods of burn pits. As a result, many of them say they have suffered from severe life-long side effects. Co-founder at Burn Pits 360 Le Roy Torres, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Starbucks Employees in Buffalo, NY Vote to Unionize
Ballots have been sent to workers at three different Starbucks locations in Buffalo, NY to decide whether they will unionize for the first time ever. Wilma Liebman, former Chair of the National Labor Relations Board and Michelle Eisen from the Starbucks Workers United Organization, which is behind this vote, joined Cheddar to discuss.
VF Corp Commits to Achieving Zero Waste by Year-End
The parent company of North Face, Vans and Supreme, VF Corp, released its fourth annual "Made for Change" sustainability and responsibility report. It details the company's ongoing efforts to tackle social and climate related issues. This comes as climate experts continue to warn about the dangers of fast fashion and its impact on global CO2 emissions. Sean Cady, Vice President of Global Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade at VF Corporation, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Meta to Block Ad-Targeting Based on Race, Religion
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, turned heads on Tuesday when it announced it will block some ad-targeting, specifically those of a political and religious nature. This is one of the most direct moves the company has made in order to minimize ad-targeting by advertisers on its platforms. Hastie Afkhami, Head of Digital at S-3 Group, joins Cheddar News to discuss the impact of this move.
Load More