The first indictment for the midterm elections has been handed down. The DOJ formally charged Russian Elena Khusyaynova for attempting to sow discord and division in the U.S. political system for the upcoming midterm elections.
According to Politico:
The Justice Department has brought its first criminal case over alleged Russian interference in the 2018 midterm elections.
Elena Khusyaynova, 44, a St. Petersburg, Russia-based accountant, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to defraud the United States for taking part in a scheme to spend in excess of $10 million since the beginning of the year on targeted social media ads and web postings intended “to sow division and discord in the U.S. political system.”
Khusyaynova, who is not in U.S. custody, allegedly works for a Russia-based firm that special counsel Robert Mueller’s office indicted in February for alleged interference in the 2016 election.
The unsealing of the new charge Friday appears to be a signal that U.S. law enforcement is not letting up in its efforts to investigate, deter and publicize alleged Russian interference in U.S. politics.
The special counsel is not handling this case. The case will instead be handled by federal prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia. Mueller is connected however because his team uncovered the firm she works for and indicted them for interference in the 2016 election.
