Chaffetz: Mueller's Russian Indictments 'Dismantle' The Left's Narrative
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz said that the indictment of Russians for meddling with the election “dismantles the Democrats’ narrative that this was all about Trump.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies Friday with plotting to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Newsmax reported.
Chaffetz said that the indictment reveals that Russia had attempted to cause chaos in the U.S.
“I think it would be naive to think this is the only thing the Russians were doing and consequently, my guess is that Mueller and his team are looking into other avenues,” he said. “I am struck with the brazen nature of how the Russians will be so aggressive with so many people.”
He added, “I applaud the Department of Justice for bringing forward this indictment, I hope these people are prosecuted.”
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein held a press conference in which he gave details into the indictment charges, making clear that there is nothing in it that says American citizens were knowingly involved.
“Now, there is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity,” he said. “There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.”
Chaffetz points out that this important part of the indictment “dismantles” the narrative given by the Left and liberal news media.
“I do think it dismantles the Democrats’ narrative that this was all about Trump,” he said. “It’s all about the United States of America and sewing discord, and I think that’s the narrative that is miraculously portrayed here.”
The indictment released Friday says that the defendants allegedly conducted “information warfare” against the U.S. in order to spread “distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general,” according to Rosenstein.
Twelve defendants worked for a company called Internet Research Agency, LLC, based in St. Petersburg. It reportedly operated through Russian shell companies.
“It employed hundreds of people in its online operations, ranging from creators of fictitious personas, to technical and administrative support personnel, with an annual budget of millions of dollars,” Rosenstein said.
In order to hide their activity, the Russians “used stolen or fictitious American identities, fraudulent bank accounts and false identification documents.”
Reportedly, they also recruited and paid Americans to participate in political activities by promoting campaigns and staging rallies.
“According to the indictment, the Americans did not know that they were communicating with Russians,” Rosenstein added.
There are eight criminal counts in the indictment.
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