A federal indictment against 13 Russian nationals accused of conspiring to defraud the United States by meddling in the 2016 presidential election says co-conspirators posing as U.S. citizens communicated with an American who was “affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots organization.”
The indictment from a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Robert Mueller also says that the Russians tried to spread derogatory information about U.S. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, one of President Donald Trump’s top opponents in the 2016 Republican primary.
The indictment doesn’t appear to identify the person in Texas who the Russians communicated with. But it says the alleged conspirators “learned from the real U.S. person that they should focus their activities on ‘purple states like Colorado, Virginia & Florida.'” The person affiliated with the Texas grassroots group also promised the Russian nationals he or she would pass along Facebook events to Tea Party voters in Florida, the indictment says.
Afterward, the indictment alleges, the co-conspirators “commonly referred to targeting ‘purple states’ in directing their efforts.
The indictment, which also targeted a Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency, says Russians waged “information warfare” starting in 2014 and throughout the 2016 election with fake identities and social media accounts.
Mueller was tasked in May 2017 to investigate election meddling and possible collusion in Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election. He has already filed charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort over money laundering, conspiracy against the United States and more. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to giving false testimony to the FBI in the case.
Mueller is also reportedly investigating Trump for obstruction of justice. Trump has denied any collusion or obstruction.
This isn’t the first time Russian election meddling has made Texas news. Last year, federal officials released evidence that two Facebook pages created by Russians organized dueling rallies in front of an Islamic center in Houston. One of the groups, United Muslims of America, is referenced in Mueller’s indictment released Friday. The indictment says the fake group encouraged Muslim Americans to boycott the election.
Source: Texas Tribune Blue News
