You're reading: Associated Press: First Russia-Trump charges are special counsel warning shot

Special counsel Robert Mueller is warning everyone in President Donald Trump’s orbit: If they lie about contacts between his election campaign and Russians, they could end up on the wrong end of federal criminal charges.

With the disclosure of the first criminal cases in his investigation, Mueller also has shown that he will not hesitate to bring charges against people who were close to the campaign even if the allegations don’t specifically pertain to Russian election interference and possible collusion with the Trump camp.

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