House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) on Friday said it was “gratifying to see” special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of “Russian agents” who allegedly interfered with the 2016 election.
“The Putin regime presents a pressing threat to American interests, including through Moscow’s long-running influence operations against the United States,” Nunes said in a statement. “Although the Obama Administration failed to act on the Committee’s warnings, it’s gratifying to see that Russian agents involved in these operations have now been identified and indicted.”
Nunes said that his panel “has been investigating these threats for many years.”
“In 2014—the year the Russians began their operation targeting the 2016 elections—I warned about Russia’s worldwide influence operations,” he said. “In April 2016 I stated that the United States’ failure to predict Putin’s plans and intentions is ‘the biggest intelligence failure that we’ve had since 9/11.’”
Mueller on Friday announced an indictment against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities as part of the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.