“Hillary paid Steele to assemble a “salacious and unverified” dossier, with help from Blumenthal and Shearer, and paid Russian informants…..Indict them.”
On Friday, February 16, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted thirteen Russian nationals and several Russian companies for “interfering” with the 2016 election. Paragraph one of the indictment reads:
The United States of America, through its departments and agencies, regulates the activities of foreign individuals and entities in and affecting the United States in order to prevent, disclose, and counteract improper foreign influence on U.S. elections and on the U.S. political system. U.S. law bans foreign nationals from making certain expenditures or financial disbursements for the purpose of influencing federal elections. U.S. law also bars agents of anyforeign entity from engaging in political activities within the United States without first registering with the Attorney General. And U.S. law requires certain foreign nationals seeking entry to the United States to obtain a visa by providing truthful and accurate information to the government.
The indictment does not charge that Russians colluded or conspired with Donald Trump or the Trump campaign. The indictment does not allege that Russia affected the results of the election. The indictment does charge that Russia started its campaign in 2014, before Trump announced, so that its intent to interfere did not matter as to the candidates.
Russia denigrated Hillary, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio and generally favored Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, and Donald Trump.
The main thrust of the indictment is that the Russians “failed to register as foreign agents carrying out political activities within the United States, and obtaining visas through statements.” Had the Russians registered and stated so in their visa applications, then presumably there would be no violations, except for stealing the identities of Americans.