WASHINGTON ― A grand jury convened by special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officials in connection with the hack of a DNC server during the 2016 election.
All 12 of the defendants were connected to GRU, a Russian Federation intelligence agency within the Russian military.
Defendants registered the domain “DCLeaks.com” and falsely claimed to be “American hacktivists.” They used Facebook and Twitter to promote the website.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller probe, said he briefed President Donald Trump, who is set to meet with Vladimir Putin, about the indictment earlier this week. Trump has regularly undermined the Mueller investigation and dismissed Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“When we confront foreign interference in American elections, it is important for us to avoid thinking politically as Republicans or Democrats and instead to think patriotically as Americans. Our response must not depend on who was victimized,” Rosenstein said at a press conference on Friday.
This has been updated.
Ryan Reilly is HuffPost’s senior justice reporter covering the Justice Department, federal law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs. Have a tip? Reach him at ryan.reilly@huffpost.com or on Signal at 202-527-9261.