Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein briefed President Trump earlier this week on the new indictment of 12 Russian nationals announced on Friday.
“I briefed President Trump about these allegations earlier this week. The President is fully aware of the department’s actions today,” Rosenstein said in a press conference announcing the new indictment.
The indictment from a grand jury, part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, accused 12 members of the Russian intelligence agency of hacking the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign during the 2016 election.
After noting that Trump was aware of the indictment, Rosenstein emphasized that the government should not focus on the victims of the attack.
“In my remarks I have not identified the victims. We confront foreign interference in American elections. It’s important for us to avoid thinking politically, as Republicans or Democrats, and instead to think patriotically as Americans. Our response must not depend on which side was victimized. The internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways,” Rosenstein said.
