DEVELOPING – AT 1:48 P.M. ET:  There are indictments in the "Russia matter" in Washington.  This story is just developing, and there will be deeper analysis as more facts are known.  But the president does not appear damaged at all by today's events.  From Fox:

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Friday indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of interfering in U.S. elections. 

They are accused of having a “strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 presidential election.”

The 37-page indictment was signed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

They are accused of spreading derogatory information about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, denigrating Republican candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio -- and supporting Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and then-Republican candidate Donald Trump. 

It says the defendants spread derogatory information about various candidates throughout the 2016 campaign and by “early to mid-2016” were supporting Trump’s presidential campaign.

The indictment said the defendants purchased political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. It also accuses them of staging political rallies inside the United States while posing as U.S. grassroots groups.

According to the special counsel, the indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States, three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and five defendants with aggravated identity theft.

COMMENT:  The key point is that, as of now, we don't know of any Americans who were involved.  There is no mention in the indictment of collusion with the Russians by American citizens.  If that ultimately proves to be true, many journalists will be eating multiple servings of crow. 

But there's much, much more to come.  We make no predictions.

We should note that the Russkies have been trying to influence our elections since the Russian revolution of 1917.  Other nations routinely try.  The Brits had a professional operation in the U.S. before World War II, trying to get America to back Britain.  There were large Nazi propaganda operations, even depicted in movies like "The House on 92nd Street." 

We should be prepared, but not shocked. 

February 16, 2018