The Associated Press reports the indictments were announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as a result of special investigator Robert Mueller's probe into the connection between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russian influence on the election.
The 12 Russians have been accused of hacking computer networks of the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign. The hackers are believed to have released the stolen emails on the Internet in the months before the election.
"The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack Americans in new and unexpected ways," Rosenstein said. "Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious and there will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide and conquer us."
The AP also reports that Rosenstein briefed President Donald Trump on the indictment but made it clear there was no allegation that the hacking altered any vote count or that any Americans were knowingly in communication with any of the Russian officers.
The investigation has now led to charges being brought against 32 people and three companies, including four individuals that were associated with the Trump campaign.
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