Mueller has reportedly filed the first charges in the Russia investigation

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

• Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed the first charges in the Russia investigation, CNN reported Friday.
• Mueller is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as whether anyone in President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.
• Veteran journalist Carl Bernstein told CNN Friday that Mueller's latest move could be a signal to other potential defendants.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed the first charges in the Russia investigation, and a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, approved them, CNN reported Friday.

The charges are sealed, CNN said. The nature of the charges are unclear, but they could result in an arrest as soon as Monday, sources told CNN.

Mueller was tasked in May with investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election after President Donald Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. As part of the investigation, Mueller is looking into whether any Trump associates colluded with Moscow to tilt the election in Trump's favor.

The special counsel is also investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice related to his decision to fire Comey. And he is looking into several of the president's close associates, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Mueller's latest move does not mean it was made solely to indict an individual - it could be also be seen as a signal to other possible defendants, political analyst Carl Bernstein said to CNN Friday.

"There are others who may be subject to similar charges, who have further knowledge about dealings with Russia," Bernstein said. "So it may be aimed at these prospective indictees as well, not simply this person or persons they want to flip."