The indictments obtained by special counsel Robert Mueller on Vladimir Putin's attempts to create discord in the 2016 election and eventually support Donald Trump are important both for what they say and what they don't say.

They offer huge victories for Trump — and thus more defeats for Hillary Clinton — but they don't close the books on everything about 2016.

The very good news for the president is that the indictments are firm in saying that any Americans contacted by the 13 charged Russians, including Trump campaign associates, did not know they were dealing with Russians.

The indictments also state forcefully that despite their social media efforts, which ranged from creative to clumsy, the Russians had no impact on the election results.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced those findings in a flat monotone that belied their significance.