The first charges have been filed in Robert Mueller‘s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
CNN reports that a grand jury in Washington D.C. approved the first charges, which are still sealed under orders from a federal judge.
It’s unclear what the charges are, but anyone who is charged could be taken into custody as soon as Monday, sources told CNN.
Mueller was appointed as a special counsel in May to lead the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. His appointment was made shortly after President Donald Trump made headlines by firing FBI director James Comey, who has first opened a federal investigation into Russian involvement in July 2016, in the middle of the presidential campaign.
The investigation has focused on possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, including the spread of fake news stories on Facebook and Twitter, as well as obstruction of justice by the president when he allegedly asked Comey to drop an inquiry into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn was fired in February after it was revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his interactions with a Russian official.
Mueller’s team of investigators have been interviewing current and former White House officials and the Trump campaign and others have turned over thousands of emails and documents to the investigation.
Congressional investigators as well as Mueller’s team are examining whether the Trump campaign’s digital operation — which was overseen by the real estate tycoon’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — helped guide Russia’s targeting of social media users, bombarding them with fake news intended to help Trump win the election.
