Russian oligarch gloats after US Justice Department drops election-meddling charges
(CNN)Russian oligarch Yevegeny Prigozhin, who bankrolled the troll farm that meddled in the 2016 presidential election, took a victory lap on Tuesday after the US Justice Department dropped charges against two of his companies, weeks before a scheduled trial.
Prigozhin, often dubbed "Putin's chef" for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, blasted the federal prosecutors who brought the case and denied once again that he was involved in the Kremlin's sweeping interference in 2016. In a statement released Tuesday, Prigozhin slammed former special counsel Robert Mueller and claimed he and his company were "illegally persecuted."
President Donald Trump also trumpeted the development, even though it was a setback for his own Justice Department. While Trump dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, he found time Monday evening to re-tweet two tweets that said the outcome tarnished the legacy of the Russia investigation that Mueller led. One of the tweets read, "How embarrassing for Team Mueller."
The criminal case against Prigozhin and his companies, including Concord Management and Consulting, was initiated by Mueller in 2018 and was slated to go to trial next month. But prosecutors abruptly announced Monday that they were scrapping the charges.
Judge allows US to drop two of 16 defendants in Russian troll farm case brought by Mueller
Judge allows US to drop two of 16 defendants in Russian troll farm case brought by Mueller
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/us/politics/concord-case-russian-interference.html
