Robert Mueller standing in front of US flag

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Mueller says doctored evidence was shared online in an attempt to discredit probe

Mueller's team says the documents that were put online matched ones that were part of an ongoing case.

 

Andrew Wyrich

Tech

Posted on Jan 31, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 8:15 pm CDT

Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s office said in a court filing on Wednesday that a Twitter account shared evidence from his investigation in an attempt to discredit his probe, according to numerous reports.

The claim was made in an objection to a request from Concord Management and Consulting—a company charged in a previous Mueller indictment—to disclose “sensitive” evidence as it prepares for trial.

Mueller’s office alleges that a Twitter account, @HackingRedstone, posted in late October 2018 that it “hacked” a Russian server with information about the case against Concord and posted a link to a website with the files.

Concord is a Russian company charged with funding some of the effort to interfere in the 2016 election.

“As discussed in more detail below, in October 2018, one or more actors made statements claiming to have a stolen copy of discovery produced by the government in this case,” the court filing reads. “The subsequent investigation has revealed that certain non-sensitive discovery materials in the defense’s possession appear to have been altered and disseminated as part of a disinformation campaign aimed (apparently) at discrediting ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. political system.”

A number of reporters were sent messages from the Twitter account about the website and the files.

Authorities determined that the files matched tracking numbers made by the U.S. government that were shared with Concord. The Special Counsel’s office concluded that they did not fall “victim to any computer intrusion” involving those files.

The real files had been “altered” and were mixed with “junk material,” according to the filing. The website used to publish it was registered by a user with an IP address in Russia, the filing said.

The law firm representing Concord told CNN that it was “confident” it was not hacked.

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*First Published: Jan 31, 2019, 11:26 am CST