A federal grand jury has approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, CNN reported on Friday, citing unidentified sources. It was not immediately known who had been charged and why.
The charges were approved at a court in Washington, D.C. on Friday but remain sealed under orders from a federal judge, the channel reported, citing sources briefed on the matter. It said plans were being prepared for anyone charged to be taken into custody as early as Monday.
A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment on the report and there was no immediate word on who had been charged or what the charges are relating to. BNO News was unable to independently verify CNN’s reporting.
CNN added that top lawyers who are helping to lead Mueller’s investigation, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the federal court in Washington, D.C. where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation.
Mueller, who previously served as a prosecutor and as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was appointed in May to oversee the investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. It followed the controversial firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Little information has been released about the status of the investigation, but previous media reports have indicated that Mueller’s team has also explored possible financial crimes committed in the past by people linked to the campaign of President Donald Trump.
This includes former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, whose home in Alexandria, Virginia, was raided by FBI agents in July. CNN, citing sources, reported at the time that the investigation centered on possible crimes committed as far back as January 2006.
(Copyright 2017 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)