Gowdy weighs in on Mueller indictments: ‘Russia is not our friend’

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s latest indictments against a dozen Russian intelligence officers show that “Russia is not our friend.”

Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a statement that “Russia attempted to sow the seeds of discord, undermine the fundamentals of our democracy and challenge the reliability of the 2016 election.”

“As I have repeatedly said, it is clear, based on the evidence, Russia had disdain for Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and was motivated in whole or in part by a desire to harm her candidacy or undermine her Presidency had she prevailed,” Gowdy said.

{mosads}The GOP lawmaker, who is retiring after this Congress, said that he’s “pleased Russia is being held accountable for their actions against our country.”

“This was not an attack on Republicans or an attack on Democrats — this was an attack on the United States,” he added.

Mueller indicted 12 Russian military officers on Friday in connection with the hacking of the Democratic National Committee in 2016.

The special counsel said that the officers hacked Democratic officials and released the stolen documents through online personas.

The indictment landed just two days before President Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland.

Trump is facing calls from some to cancel the meeting with Putin in light of the latest indictments. Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in the election. 

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Friday that Trump was made “fully aware” of the indictments before they were announced.