McMullin: GOP knew about, ignored Russian meddling in election
McMullin: GOP knew about, ignored Russian meddling in election
Rebecca Savransky 3 hrs ago
Former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin on Wednesday charged that congressional Republicans were aware of Russian efforts to meddle in the U.S. presidential election but didn't do anything about it.
"Look, the truth is it's been very obvious for leaders in Washington on the Republican side that the Russians have been undermining our democracy, or did undermine our democracy," McMullin said at an event hosted by Politico.
"I know because I know for a fact that they know this. It was a topic of discussion during the election and they chose not to stand up."
A secret CIA assessment first reported by The Washington Post concluded Russia intervened in the presidential election to help Donald Trump win the presidency. Trump and his aides have since blasted the report, with the president-elect calling it "ridiculous" that Russia would work to help him.
McMullin said Republicans are now "sticking their heads in the sand on this issue as they did during the campaign."
"I will tell you, this is not a new issue," he said.
"They knew during the campaign that this was happening and they chose not to say anything because they knew it would harm them politically. That is the issue, the sacrifice of principle for power, the sacrifice of the country's interests for the party's interests."
McMullin also criticized the president-elect's nominee for secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson was a "predictable pick," McMullin said, but is "somebody who will not stand up to what Donald Trump intends to do, which is a realignment, a strategic realignment of the United States with Russia."
McMullin has said he would like to see Tillerson's nomination blocked.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mcmullin-gop-knew-about-ignored-russian-meddling-in-election/ar-AAlz0xi?li=BBnb7Kz
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"They knew during the campaign that this was happening and they chose not to say anything because they knew it would harm them politically. That is the issue, the sacrifice of principle for power, the sacrifice of the country's interests for the party's interests."
Well....well...well this is simply shocking.
Yeah Obama knew too and it was Obamas job to enforce the laws not congress.
Dean - I appreciate that you are at least admitting that you also believe the Republican leadership knew about this and put their politics above the country.
I agree, President Obama should have done something.
As the New York Times demonstrated at length this morning, the Russians have been hacking governmental communications for years. the White House itself was hacked. The state department begged obama to do something, anything, and he did nothing but hold meetings.
The DNC leaks are just part of a long line of Russian Cyber attacks that the obama administration ignored. The executive did nothing, congress can't act on its own.
As krauthammer says, Obamas passivity in the face of years of attacks is simply staggering.
Congress or the Senate Republican leadership can't acknowledge the hacking and demand action?
They sat on their asses and did nothing. Pretended that they knew nothing about it. They still pretend like they don't know shit about it. It's going to eventually come out exactly what they knew and when. You go ahead and keep defending them. Keep putting your party before the country.
What bombshell do you imagine this is? There was testimony in Congress, well before the election, that the Russians had hacked the DNC. People on this site posted articles on an almost daily basis claiming the Russians were meddling in the election prior to the election. That the Russians were almost certainly involved wasn't a secret.
What powers do you imagine the Republicans in Congress had to stop it when Obama, the President, was ignoring ongoing hacks for years? Blame President Obama. He did nothing and it was his actual job.
Let me quote krauthammer at length:
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: The idea that [Russia] gave the election to Donald Trump is absurd. The intelligence agencies themselves are split. There's no way really to discern intent without having a source inside and we don't.
But the real issue is this. There is extensive report on how this thing developed over 18 months with the Obama administration knowing about this. Knowing about all kinds of intrusions by the Russians through others and the passivity of Barack Obama in the face of this is simply staggering. It quotes officials as saying in the end people saying we have to do something. Some kind of retaliation to prevent or deter the Russians and/or others and Obama never did. In part because he didn't want to lose influence with Russia in Syria. Well, we can see how well that influence went today when Aleppo essentially fell.
This is a president who let it go when he could have done something. We are going to have to be very clear to the Russians if they ever try anything like this again they will suffer.
Sadly, why would I believe anything that a Republican says when they've shown me time after time that they put their party before their country. This is a perfect example. I would hope you would be angry that no one in Washington took action or demanded that something be done. Instead you blame ONLY President Obama by making excuses as though the Republican leadership had no recourse but to sit and wait for the President to tell them what to do. Does the Senate not have the ability to pass laws, hold hearings? Only the President can take action - that's your argument?
"Only the President can take action... "
Yes, that's how the Republic works. The Legislature does not command the CIA or the FBI. Elementary Civics teaches us that. If there was any actual issue (unlikely), Obama dropped the ball.
If memory serves me the Senate wasted several millions of dollars investigating Hilary. I also believed they televised their little reality show when they hauled her up in front of them. And their latest escapades involved sending a request to the CIA to have more of Hilary's email reviewed. I'm pretty sure President Obama didn't make them do that so ding, ding, ding, ding, ding "YOU'RE WRONG" sherlock. They can act without the President. Jesus Christ this was easy. Are we feeling a bit tired tonight Cerenkov? Perhaps you should go lie down and come back when you're up to the challenge because you're really boring me this evening. buh bye
Once again, you are wrong. Congress can question federal agencies, they can't direct them to act against foreign nations. Maybe this is too hard for you? Maybe you should go to bed yourself? Or back to school?
I forgot that I don't want to have discussions with you anymore. I generally don't respond to those who don't like me and vice versa but I'll respond one more time and then give you the last word.
The Senate may not be able to act against a foreign entity alone but they can send requests to the President and demand he do something. Your argument is weak and in my opinion just an excuse. Why you can't or refuse to hold them to any accountability is telling if you ask me but I don't expect you will.
So, you blame the Republicans for not pressuring Obama to do his job? That's an.... unusual perspective. I can only speculate it's due to a partisan delusion.
Comment removed for CoC violation [ph] Obama is not to blame for Russia influencing the election in favor of Trump. Putin and Asange ( and possibly Trump himself) are to blame, of course. Man up for god's sake.
Is that the worst CoC violation you can accomplish ?
Would you like to find out?
I do not encourage such foolish behavior but I can't stop you from "expressing yourself" ...
Reported. Incivility is unwelcome here.
You keep babbling and babbling and babbling about Obama.
Obama asked the leadership of Congress to join him in a statement saying that Russia was meddling in the election and McConnell refused. Had Obama proceeded alone the Republicans would have said he was in a partisan way trying to implicate Russia in order to help Clinton. Obama tried to do it the right way and the Republicans would not go along.
This matter was before the media anyway, for months, and little was said about it. So I can see blaming the media for keeping it silent , but Obama did what was the prudent thing to do, try and make the objection to the Russian hacking bipartisan. He was not able to convince the GOP leaders.
I see you deleted where you told me "fuck you' just now. You are so brave lol.
Okay boyzzzzz - please don't engage in personal attacks. You can get your point across without calling names or soliciting sexual acts or favors from one another.
Carry on
I decided to respect Perrie. Something you are incapable of.
Reported. Incivility is unwelcome here.
Comment removed for CoC violation [ph]
Sorry. I don't speak Commie.
"Only the President can take action... "
Nope.
Congress can hold hearings ("try the case in the 'Court of Public Opinion'").
Once they make the facts widely known, public outrage will be YUGE-- ignored at your own peril
would hope you would be angry that no one in Washington took action or demanded that something be done
Did I miss your anger at the President, who was you know the President?
The State Department demanded action privately to Obama. In public of course, they play the loyal solider to the President who mocked Mitt Romney for calling Russia a foe.
Yeah, you did miss it. Scroll up Seanie. I clearly said in my post to Dean that President Obama should have done something.
That's the difference between us. I CAN admit when I think someone on the left screwed up. You and your cohorts can't. You'd sell your own mother down the river before you admitted the Republicans screwed up. It's always someone else's fault (preferably the lefts).
ou'd sell your own mother down the river before you admitted the Republicans screwed up.
Nonsense, I didn't even vote for Trump. I'm sure I'll oppose all sorts of things he will do.
I just find this whole line of arguments silly. Nothing has changed in months. Democrats make all sorts of hysterical claims about the election being hacked and when they can't prove anything they resort to recycling old news in its place.
Congress did hold hearings where Russia was blamed for hacking prior to the election. It publicized the issue. That's about all it can do.
Obama is in charge of foreign policy and decided the official US response was to do absolutely nothing in response to repeated hacks going back years. It's not being a partisan to point out the President sets foreign policy, it's simply reality.
The funny thing is Democrats claim to be worried that Trump will be a tool of Putin. Look at the last four years, how could he possibly be a bigger pushover than Obama?
Seanie- let your mom know that I sent her a paddle since you've obviously sent her up the creek without one.
Ummm... okay.
Have you never heard the saying " up shits creek without a paddle"? never mind ..............
Why are you dragging mothers into this?
It wasn't a dig on your mom. it was a dig at you but you missed the joke so I apologize if you took it as an offense against your mom. I'm sure she's lovely.
Maybe you should stick with addressing the article instead of insulting Sean.
Stop worry about what I'm doing okay Gary. Focus on your own behavior. Sean is a big boy and can speak for himself as he clearly did in this instance and I had no problem apology. troll
would hope you would be angry that no one in Washington took action or demanded that something be done
Did I miss your anger at the President, who was, you know, the President and in charge of foreign policy?
The State Department demanded action privately to Obama. In public of course, they play the loyal solider to the President who mocked Mitt Romney for calling Russia a foe.
Party before country? Did you see the e-mails the DEMOCRATS were sending out? Trying to fix the election, deny Bernie Sanders at all costs, racism and bigotry? Why would anyone in their right mind trust that party.
They put their true feelings about you and every other American in e-mails they thought would be secure-their real feelings, methods and prejudices in those supposedly secure e-mails.
But they weren't secure. And their true personalities were put on display for all to see. And you want to blame the Republicans. If there's something you don't want people to see, don't write it down. It's as simple as that.
Have you ever heard "blood is thicker than water" Gary? if you're not familiar with the term I'll explain what it means to me. It means that I may say mean things about family and they in turn may say mean things about me but if someone outside of our family speaks ill about us then we come together, unite and defeat and fight the outside offender.
So what if the Democrats said mean things.....boo hoo hoo. What I think matters more is the outside offender or if a family member worked against the family with the outside offender. I consider that selling out your family and in this instance it's like the Republican leadership selling out their country.
You don't have to agree and in fact I'm sure you won't agree with anything I post but I don't care.
Your complaint is pitiful.
Have we seen Republican e mails? Do you really think they would contain no "racism"? No bigotry? Just how flippin' deluded are you?
Prove it.
Andy McCarthy also puts this in the proper perspective:
To begin with, it would be shocking if the Russians had not attempted to meddle in our election. Historically, they’ve done it countless times (I assume, every time). That’s what hostiles do, they make mischief when and where they can. Democrats, moreover, conveniently forget that they’ve historically welcomed such mischief-making — such as when Jimmy Carter pleaded with Leonid Brezhnev for Soviet help in the futile effort to defeat Ronald Reagan in 1980 and when Ted Kennedy pleaded with Yuri Andropov for Soviet help in the futile effort to defeat Reagan in 1984.....
In point of fact, though, they don’t even have proof that pins hacking on Putin’s regime. The main heavy breathing comes from the Washington Post. If you invest the time it takes to read through the first 26 paragraphs of its explosive report, you are finally told that the Post’s sources — anonymous “intelligence officials” — admit that the “actors” who came into possession of hacked files are “‘one step’ removed from the Russian government.” They may have “affiliations” to Russian intelligence services, but what exactly that means the sources can’t say . No wonder that the FBI, which is expected to be able to prove the allegations it makes, disagrees with the Post’s unidentified leakers. No wonder that other intelligence sources tell the Wall Street Journal’s editors that the leakers’ evidence is “thin....”
The Democrats and their media note takers started out telling us that the Russians had “hacked” the election. But when hard proof is demanded, they must admit that there is not a scintilla of suggestion that Putin’s intelligence operatives tampered with votes — in fact, since most of the polling is not online, there’s not even evidence that an election could be hacked. So now, Democrats have moved the goal post: What they meant by “hacked,” we’re told, is not really vote fraud but blatantly biased leaking — the Democrats’ embarrassing communications were exposed while the GOP’s remained concealed. So . . . where is the ridicule? You’re not hearing it because the media is hoping you won’t notice the Democrats’ climb down. They made an absurd “hacking the election” allegation that they can’t back up. At most, what happened here is: The Russians did to Democrats exactly what the media does to Republicans — they subjected one side to intense scrutiny while giving the other side a pass.
Read more at:
Finally, a reasonable synopsis of this farce. Pure liberal propaganda abetted by their media arm. Still, some folks will still get hysterical about this nonissue while questioning the "patriotism" of their fellow citizens. Now, that's deplorable.
A pile of blather Sean.
"Hacked the election" means they stole and leaked information damaging to one of the candidates and only one, thereby putting their thumbs on the scale of public opinion. People are so shallow and frankly so stupid that they put inordinate store in the contents of an "e mail" as opposed to the contents of an investigative report about the corruption of Trump. The media played into this as well, breathlessly announcing the importance of the latest leak, most of which had no inherent importance.
Assange announced that he wanted to see Hillary Clinton lose, and through his brotherhood with the Russians was able to do so. Why any American would allow their vote to be influenced by foreigners that hate this country is the question of the day.
"Hacked the election" means they stole and leaked informati
B.s.. Jill Stein and Hillary Clinton demanded a recount because they claimed the results were hacked. The usual morons on this site claimed the election was hacked because some guy in Michigan said the results were "suspicious."
It's only when the hacking claims became impossible to continue to with did this claim get recycled. Remember when it was news the first time?
Sean, Russia hacked into private communications of Democratic party people and gave them to someone who was anxious for the Democrat to lose. And Russia knew Assange was anxious for the Democrat to lose. The leaked information effected the election in Trump's favor.
This is not rocket science so you can stop spinning 5000 mph now.
I think about the only thing this does prove is the RNC took the threat a little more serious in house thus a reason for nothing really damning ever being released , evidently neither the WH nor the DNC took it very serous or they would have taken different measures , they didn't from other articles I have read.
To tell the truth I find the entire matter heartbreaking. Our great nation being played by an enemy and we squabble with each other over what was what , and who knew what, and who didn't; and, in the meantime, still,,,,nobody doin' shit about it. pitiful.
perhaps one day, like a long lost love, justice and honor and love of country and fellow man will return to us ...
Donald Trump, a pathological liar, tweeted yesterday "why was no one talking about this before the election"?
as if to suggest the only reason anyone is saying anything now is because he won. The truth is it was brought up many times before the election. Nobody cared then either. There is something sinister about all of this. Why was Trump so smitten with Putin before any of this even happened? Why did Trump question NATO? What connection is there between the Trump-Putin love affair and Putin's affinity for white nationalist movements around the world? Is that the element where this all ties together?
Well said Larry. You're absolutely correct. So how do we work together and make sure this doesn't happen to our country again when one side refuses to admit that it happened or they downplay the importance of it? You can't fix a problem until you acknowledge there is a problem. They refuse to admit they are part of the problem so how can they be part of the solution?
It is a sad state of affairs we are in.
They don't call them "deplorables" for nothin, PJ.
So how do we work together and make sure this doesn't happen to our country again when one side refuses to admit that it happened or they downplay the importance of it?
Clearly Hillary would not have had an answer for you . Her private server was as solid as swiss cheese . Trump has already discussed ways to address this issue ...
You keep babbling and babbling and babbling about Obama.
Obama asked the leadership of Congress to join him in a statement saying that Russia was meddling in the election and McConnell refused. Had Obama proceeded alone the Republicans would have said he was in a partisan way trying to implicate Russia in order to help Clinton. Obama tried to do it the right way and the Republicans would not go along.
This matter was before the media anyway, for months, and little was said about it. So I can see blaming the media for keeping it silent , but Obama did what was the prudent thing to do, try and make the objection to the Russian hacking bipartisan. He was not able to convince the GOP leaders.
Who knew about this Russian hacking first?
1. Mitch McConnell
2. John Boehner
3. Richard Burr
4. Devin Nunes
5. Harry Reid
6. Nancy Pelosi
7. Dianne Feinstein
8. Adam Schiff
Mitch McConnell
Well that is true but the truth of the matter is all of them found out at the same time well over a year before the election.
Now this McMullin is just trying to make himself important, since he didn't know anything, but who is going to prove this to be true? No one.
Well, if all of them found out at the same time, why didn't someone try and do something about it?
I have no idea what point you are trying to make.
The issue is Putin and the Russians and an attempt to sway the election towards Trump.
What US politicians knew when is a sideshow, at best.
I tell you what I think happened.
Even though all these people received the briefing in the summer of 2015 they were not given permission to tell the targets because it was so secret. Now I think if I were Harry Reid I would have gone to the President and pushed as hard as I could to get him to do something about it, but obviously he didn't or at least we don't know if he did.
Well if Putin wanted to get at Hillary Clinton it sure was easy. I understand they didn't do anything about it even when they were told about it.
Well, those Democrats are so slack you know with Hillary having a private server and freely putting stuff on the internet where you can really never count on it being private. Hopefully the security will be better now. I understand this sort of meddling has been going on forever and a day anyway.
I am not surprised you are blaming the victim.
America is in a lot of trouble.
sorry Hillary was no victim , she was an idiot and paid the price for her idiocy, but we all know who has the market cornered in idiocy , those that felt she was a legitimate viable candidate , even if she had to have her primaries rigged.
there were no primaries rigged. please try and restrain your ignorance
The DNC rigged the primaries against Bernie and for the harridan. Try to keep up.
Funny, even Bernie Sanders doesn't take that position.
He's afraid for his life. The Clinton death toll is very real.
any moment now I predict someone will be pulling a Sam Kinneson, AHHHHHHAAHHHHHHAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
and people wonder why the harridan hag lost.... 3.....2.....1.....
John the only one that's playing ignorant is yourself , no one really gives 2 shits what you think or say now , your as impotent as an 8 year old used rubber. that's IMPOTENT, not important . make like a leaf , dry up your tears and blow away. and stop beating your fish.
Ole Bernie was thinking about that Secretary of Education job. He was really surprised when he drew multitudes of people compared to Hillary and for awhile he got caught up in it and really started thinking he might be the Democrat Candidate, but down deep in his heart he knew better, poor fellow. He was dreaming of how he was going to change the curriculum around in the schools and start teaching more about Lenin and less about Washington and Jefferson.
But he did get a new vacation home on Lake Champlain out of the deal. Pretty good quarters for a socialist......of course, I'm sure he's making sure all Vermonters have one....because everyone is equal in his socialist utopia.
Blaming the victim? Lol. How retarded. Hillary was the villain
Well, the last month in October Hillary Clinton only had 12 campaign events and Donald Trump had 28 and which put him in front of approximately 181k people and Hillary in front of around 11k. I think she just expected for the election to be given to her.
I don't think they really cared that much about the hacking. They figured she had this election in the bag and when it turned out not to be true, they grabbed this as an excuse. Now it could have made some difference, I think, but the private server, the lies about it, the erasing the hard drive after it be subpoenaed would have had an effect as well, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Plus the polls were saying we were heading in the wrong direction and she was going to double down on it. I think the people wanted to change directions based on the polls.
You don't think they were worried about the hacking?
Heck no!!! They thought they had this election in the bag. They just let it go, but they were smart enough to cover all the bases. You know you have to do that sometimes and that's what they did, cover all the bases just in case.