Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseHillicon Valley: Murky TikTok deal raises questions about China's role | Twitter investigating automated image previews over apparent algorithmic bias | House approves bill making hacking federal voting systems a crime House approves legislation making hacking voting systems a federal crime LWCF modernization: Restoring the promise MORE (D-R.I.) said Monday that obstruction of justice charges will "likely figure prominently" in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference.

"This indictment may be beginning of the end for some ultimate targets, but for sure this is the end of the beginning phase of investigation," Whitehouse said in a series of tweets.

"False statement charges (present in this indictment) and obstruction of justice charges will likely figure prominently."

This indictment may be beginning of the end for some ultimate targets, but for sure this is the end of the beginning phase of investigation. — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) October 30, 2017

False statement charges (present in this indictment) and obstruction of justice charges will likely figure prominently. — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) October 30, 2017

President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is being charged with 12 counts — including conspiracy against the United States — in the first indictment to come from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

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The indictment includes Manafort’s former business partner and protégé Rick Gates, who was ousted from the pro-Trump group America First Policies in April.

Whitehouse on Monday shared the full indictment on Manafort, tweeting: "Something to be said for cold, factual language of an indictment, asserting specific facts known & specific laws broken."

"An investigation like this has phases: 1st map out potential witnesses & targets; then subpoena records & understand $ flows within subjects," he tweeted.

The next step, he said, is to identify who can be "'flipped' to cooperate or who can be charged & then may cooperate."

"Bring live witnesses & targets into grand jury; which itself rattles cages and can provoke further cooperation. Evidence from all of this will then determine prosecution strategy," Whitehouse tweeted.

"For the final phase, to determine which main targets of the investigation can and should be charged, and with which offenses."

Whitehouse also went after Fox News for its coverage. He shared an article from the network titled "Mueller facing new Republican pressure to resign in Russia probe."

"Meanwhile, the smoke machine starts working overtime...." he tweeted.

In June, The Washington Post reported Mueller was investigating Trump for obstruction of justice.

Trump has repeatedly slammed the Russia probe as a "witch hunt" and he and his aides have denied collusion.