The Justice Department has identified and associated at least six Russian government officials with the breach of the Democratic National Committee’s computers during the U.S. presidential election in 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Sources told the publication U.S. prosecutors and federal agents have amassed evidence that could be used to file charges against the Russian officials and plan to file a case with the court in 2018.
The potential filing of a case against the identified Russian officials would not guarantee their arrests or imprisonment but could potentially make traveling a challenge for them, according to Reuters citing the WSJ report.
DOJ and Robert Mueller, federal special counsel who was appointed in May to lead the probe into Russia’s alleged interference into the U.S. presidential elections, agreed to permit the original team of prosecutors and agents to oversee the cyber investigation, Reuters noted.
