GOP uses Durham report to pretend the Russia scandal wasn't real
By: Steve Benen (MSNBC. com)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
May 17, 2023, 5:18 PM UTC
By Steve Benen
The front-page headline in the conservative Washington Times stood out. "No remorse: Democrats stick to Trump-Russia collusion claims despite Durham report," it read. The subtext was hardly subtle: The conservative newspaper was incredulous that some rascally observers, even now, in the wake of John Durham's findings, still believe that the Russia scandal is a real, legitimate controversy.
The nerve of some people. Where's their "remorse"?
For Republicans and their allies, the Russia scandal became the "Russia hoax" quite a while ago, but in the wake of the special counsel's report reaching the public on Monday, the party is acting as if the case is now officially closed — and Donald Trump was right all along.
"The Russian hoax was a figment of Hillary Clinton's imagination," Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee declared on Monday night. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas condemned reality-based observers for "breathlessly spreading these 'Russia, Russia, Russia' lies." Sen. Eric Schmitt pointed to Durham's findings as confirmation that the "collusion" story was a "politically motivated hit job." His fellow Missourian, Sen. Josh Hawley, added, "It was all a hoax."
Conservative media outlets are eagerly playing along. In addition to the aforementioned Washington Times report, Trump appeared on Newsmax last night, and during the interview, the on-screen chyron delivered the message to viewers that the former president wanted to see: "Durham report proves Russian collusion was a witch hunt."
To be sure, these reactions were inevitable. It didn't much matter what the special counsel wrote — I find it very difficult to believe any of these folks actually read the report — because Trump and his allies settled on their message ahead of time.
But reality is stubborn.
University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. Attorney and an MSNBC legal analyst, explained yesterday, "[T]he Durham Report provides fuel for the false claim that the Russia probe was a hoax. Don't fall for it." A Washington Post fact-check report added this morning that, in reality, "Russia sought to change the outcome of the [2016 presidential] election, and the Republican candidate welcomed that help." The same report concluded that the FBI had good reason to investigate the ties between the Trump campaign and its Russian benefactors.
Circling back to our earlier coverage, I'm mindful of the fact that Republicans have spent years trying to dismiss the Russia scandal, largely out of partisan necessity: The truth was a disaster for Trump and his political operation, so their allies set out to assure Americans that we need not trust our lying eyes.
What's more, it's quite possible that for those living in a conservative bubble — folks, for example, who were led to believe former special counsel Robert Mueller's report "exonerated" Trump, reality be damned — this public-relations strategy will prove wildly effective. I have no doubt that a painfully large chunk of the population is now absolutely certain that the underlying controversy is "fake."
But the allegations at the heart of the Russia scandal remain fundamentally unchanged. Now seems like a good time to review anew some core truths.
Russia attacked the American elections in 2016
Every U.S. intelligence agency and lawmakers from both parties have long agreed that the Kremlin launched an expansive and expensive covert military intelligence operation that targeted the U.S. political system in 2016. This basic fact is no longer contested — except by Trump, who publicly declared that he found Vladimir Putin more reliable than his own administration's officials — and its importance is too often overlooked.
Did the Durham report discredit this? No. In fact, it didn't even try.
Russia's goal was to put Trump in power
The Kremlin's operation was not politically neutral: Moscow attacked our elections in the hopes of helping dictate the outcome. According to the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies, the Mueller investigation, and the multi-step investigation from the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee, Russia saw Trump as a prospective ally and believed it would be in its interests if the Republican were in the White House.
Did the Durham report discredit this? No. It didn't try to do this, either.
Russia and Team Trump were political allies
As regular readers know, investigations from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee documented the extent to which Trump and his team welcomed, received, and benefited from Russian campaign assistance. (They also obstructed the investigation into this assistance — by some measures, 10 times.)
The evidence also showed there was coordination and high-level connections between Trump's political operation and those responsible for the attack on our elections. The Senate Intelligence Committee's report at one point literally described a "direct tie between senior Trump Campaign officials and the Russian intelligence services."
Did the Durham report discredit this? It wanted to, but it couldn't. In fact, as McQuade noted, the special counsel's office apparently preferred to simply overlook the details that helped solidify the connections between Russia and Team Trump.
Team Trump lied about its communications with Russia
No, really, Team Trump lied about its communications with Russia. A lot. Out loud and on record. Over and over again, Trump and his spokespersons insisted there were absolutely no interactions between the Republican, his political operation, and their Russian benefactors. We now know definitively that they were lying — though they still haven't been forthcoming about why.
Did the Durham report discredit this? No. It didn't even try to do this, either.
The Russia scandal led to a series of felony convictions and prison sentences
For an alleged "hoax," the Russia scandal led to an amazing number of federal prosecutions — unlike the Durham investigation, which proved to be a prosecutorial flop. In fact, the investigation into the underlying controversy led to the convictions of, among others, Trump's White House national security advisor, campaign chairman, deputy campaign chairman, foreign policy advisor, personal lawyer, and to the indictment of 13 Russian nationals who interfered in our elections as part of the larger plot.
I realize, of course, that there are all kinds of contentious details and personalities related to the larger controversy, but these five truths remain intact, and have been bolstered, not only by U.S. intelligence agencies, but also by the Mueller probe and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee's findings. Russia attacked our elections to help Trump. The Republican's political operation welcomed, received, benefited from, and lied about Russian campaign assistance. Many key players from Trump's inner circle were charged, prosecuted, and convicted.
These aren't opinions. They are conclusions drawn from multiple, bipartisan and non-partisan investigations, conducted across several years.
This was true before Monday, and it's still true now.
This post revises our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."
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I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what the "hoax" was.
To whatever extent the FBI took the Steele dossier seriously, it was based on knowledge that Trump was accepting (election) help from Russia. Whatever the dead ends that the FBI probe ran into, the overall investigation of the Trump campaign was entirely justified.
Now we have the totally dishonest right wing media creating the fabrication that everything about the investigation was based on a "hoax", and that is just a lie.
Right. We've now reached the point of the disinformation campaign where the Maddow Blog (one of the biggest purveyors of hysteria and imaginary Russian conspiracies) claims everything was above board. This is why its so hard for the Babylon Bee to create material. Satire is dead.
Sure, let's all believe in a fake world where no one ever claimed Trump conspired with Putin to interfere in the 2016 election. The FBI never used opposition research supplied by the Clinton campaign and doctored evidence to justify spying on the Trump campaign etc... It was all a dream.
Do you ever wonder why the FBI made structural changes following this debacle, if they acted so perfectly?
The FBI investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016 was not a hoax. Period.
Yet TODAY countless right wing media figures are contending the entire thing was made up. Its disgraceful.
Yes it was and you and others bought it hook, line, and sinker. Okay it was BASED on a hoax. Period.
And it isn't just right wing media............look elsewhere for once.
They knew it was bullshit immediately, ask Strozek. Simply interviewing Papadopoulos as the Brits told them to do, would have ended the investigation within a day. But it had to go on, and on and on....
There was no need for a special counsel. Everyone in the FBI knew there was no there, there but wouldn't say it publicly to damage Trump.
Produce something from outside right wing media that claims the investigation was a hoax.
Only according to TDS sufferers everywhere.
Again, only according to TDS sufferers everywhere.
Get over it. Your Goddess Hillary was responsible for the entire damn faux investigation. Your false prophet Mueller didn't come up with shit. Yet here you are peddling the same bullshit as always.
It wasn't just the CIA and FBI. Every intelligence agency in the world was aware of Trump's Russia connections including Interpol and MI6. Trump got himself investigated by seeking out and meeting with and establishing relationships with Russian spies and agents. The CIA and FBI probes (plural) into Trump's secretive dealings with agents of Russian State Intelligence Services were legally predicated and long predated the 2016 Presidential election by years.!
Biden was part of Epstein's pedophile ring, once his daughter aged out of bidens preferred range he went to epstein to procure children for himself.
Since we are making up facts i thought i would join in.
Lather, rinse, repeat with Eu de Connerie Foutaise for liberals. Available at CNN and MSNBC.
Really trying to see how many lies you can fit in a sentence, huh?
I should thank you I guess. Every time you have to stoop to making things up and lying, you make my points for me. So continue lying. I guess.
It's amazing how free they feel to make things up. Can't win on facts so just lie.
www.msnbc.com /rachel-maddow-show/report-details-team-trump-s-connections-russia-s-2016-scheme-n1237264
Report details Team Trump's connections to Russia's 2016 scheme
By Steve Benen 4-6 minutes 8/19/2020
The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee spent more than three years examining Russia's attack on the United States' 2016 elections, and the panel found so much information, it had to release its findings in multiple volumes.
Volume I, which was released over a year ago, documented Moscow targeting U.S. election infrastructure . Volume II highlighted Russia's use of social media to help advance Donald Trump's candidacy. Volume III examined the initial U.S. response to the Russian attack. Volume IV reviewed the intelligence community's assessment from 2016, and determined that it was accurate, Trump's insistence to the contrary notwithstanding.
But the release of Volume V yesterday suggested that the Senate Intelligence Committee saved the best for last .
NBC News' report added that the Senate report, approved by the Intelligence Committee's Republican and Democratic members, represents "the most detailed account to date of the Trump campaign's embrace of Russian election interference," and included "never-before-seen evidence about Trump and Russia."
Some of the known elements of the story have now been confirmed with uncontested clarity. Vladimir Putin's government targeted U.S. elections for the express purpose of helping elevate Donald Trump to power. The Republican's political operation sought Russian assistance, embraced Russian assistance, capitalized on Russian assistance, lied about Russian assistance, and took steps to obstruct the investigation into Russian assistance.
But those are just the basics. As Rachel noted on the air last night, the bipartisan Senate report also documented the fact that Trump's campaign chairman in 2016, Paul Manafort, was in direct, frequent, and secret communication with a Russian intelligence officer throughout his time on the Trump campaign. In fact, the report identifies that officer, Konstantin Kilimnik, and concludes that he was tasked by the Kremlin with helping run Moscow's influence operations abroad.
Trump's operation shared internal information with the Russian intelligence officer, and the report raised the possibility of the Republican campaign chair possibly being directly involved in the Russian operation against Hillary Clinton.
The same Senate report documented the Trump campaign's willingness to assist the Russian attack on our election, amplifying the leaks of Democratic materials stolen by Kremlin-linked operatives, and highlighted "coordination" between Team Trump and Wikileaks, which was responsible for releasing the documents stolen by Russia.
What's more, the newly released information makes clear that Donald Trump almost certainly spoke directly with Roger Stone about Wikileaks in 2016, and the president's claims about this were almost certainly untrue .
The idea that the Russia scandal was some kind of "hoax" was always ridiculous, but the release of the 996-page Senate report should, if reality has any meaning at all, bury the idea permanently. This is, after all, a bipartisan document, bolstered by three years of investigation, that points to high-level connections and coordination between Trump's political operation and those responsible for the attack on our election.
The report at one point literally describes a "direct tie between senior Trump Campaign officials and the Russian intelligence services."
Naturally, the Republican president and his allies are once again arguing that there was no "collusion" between Team Trump and its benefactors in Moscow. A Washington Post analysis concluded yesterday, "'Collusion' was always an eye-of-the-beholder term, one used either to describe only provable coordination (by Trump defenders) or broad interactions between Russian actors and Trump's team (by his critics). What the Senate report suggests, though, is the possibility of a much more direct line from Russia's efforts to Trump's inner circle."
Establishment pieces of shit are not to be trusted or believed. Whether they be Democrat or Republican.
TDS sufferers all the same.
No matter how you spin it- you were wrong then, now, and will be always where it concerns Russian collusion and Trump.
Durham's Report reads like a very bad case of "whataboutism". He did credit the Mueller et al reports with
Meaning that he accepts all of the findings of those reports. Durham even quotes the Mueller Report:
So what? This means that this new report should be taken in conjunction with the Mueller, OIG, and Senate reports together. This is a pity because it leaves the majority of the American public without a clear and accurate view of what actually transpired and at the mercy of any number of charlatans who would purport to "know" what these reports said and who would spread this "knowledge" for the benefit of themselves and their causes, not for the benefit of the people who were listening to them.