WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Washington grand jury on Friday (Saturday in Manila) approved the first charges in the probe led by independent prosecutor Robert Mueller, CNN reported, citing sources briefed on the matter. A federal judge ordered that the charges stay sealed, the cable news network said, reporting that anyone charged could be taken into custody as early as Monday. Reached by Agence France-Presse, both Mueller’s office and the US Department of Justice declined to comment on the CNN report. That Mueller had impaneled a federal grand jury to investigate potential Russian meddling was seen as a step toward possible criminal indictments. Mueller’s team has also scrutinized foreign lobbying done by Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the president’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Source: Manila Times October 28, 2017 14:15 UTC