Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:59 pm
Republicans are showing their desperation to defend the Trump administration from growing evidence of possibly treasonous contact between the Trump team and Russian officials during the presidential campaign — while Russia was hacking our elections.
We saw Donald Trump’s reaction this morning, moving from blaming Hillary Clinton to the ridiculous charge that it is President Obama who was soft on Russia.
Now Rep. Steve King (R-IA), appearing on CNN’s New Day wants you to believe that all this mounting evidence of a Russian attempt to influence our elections is nothing but a “CNN narrative.”
Watch courtesy of CNN:
Republican congressman: It's a "CNN narrative" that the Russians were trying to influence U.S. elections https://t.co/YeGtjzTvql
— New Day (@NewDay) February 15, 2017
Steve King: “I think it’s a CNN narrative that the allegations that the Russians were trying to influence us elections between Donald trump and Hillary Clinton.
Alisyn Camerota: “Now hold on a second. CNN didn’t invent this. As you know, there were a score of intelligence agencies – 17 of them – that concluded that Russia had hacked and meddled in our election.”
King: “Alisyn, there was dissent among that and furthermore, I sat in on that classified briefing and they had not one fact and only gave us their opinions so we’re back to the same place again. We need facts to work with.”
Camerota: “Just so we’re clear Congressman, you do not believe that Russia meddled?”
King: “I don’t know. I don’t know whether they meddled or not. I want to see a transcript. I want to hear some audio. I want to see a chronological timeline that we can say ‘these things we know that are facts.’ Because what we are dealing with are opinions and obviously now there are opinions from the US intelligence community that are the direct enemies of Trump who don’t want to see him succeed.”
This is Steve King speaking, who was quite happy to proceed with repeated investigations of Hillary Clinton and an invented Benghazi scandal without the benefit of one single fact. In fact, you might remember when Steve King said, admitting he had no facts whatsoever to base this on, that Benghazi was Watergate + Iran-Contra x 10:
“I believe that it’s a lot bigger than Watergate, and if you link Watergate and Iran-Contra together and multiply it times maybe 10 or so, you’re going to get in the zone where Benghazi is. I don’t think the public has any idea, and I tell you, I don’t either, of the chronology of the events — what took place, and who was where doing what and why. And all the way down through — we still haven’t seen an autopsy report on the ambassador yet. Simple questions that you would ask in the first 24 hours have not been asked yet.”
In 2012, eyeing Hillary Clinton, King did not need facts or a chronology of events. Now, with all eyes on Donald Trump, he positively demands them.
This 2012 incarnation of Steve King not the Steve King we are hearing today when the scandal involves a Republican president. Now Steve King believes the alleged absence of facts means we can’t even conclude anything is wrong.
What Steve King has done here today is prove that he is as dishonest as Donald Trump, and as big a hypocrite, and that like Jason Chaffetz and other Republicans, he will do anything in his power to shield Donald Trump from a very real scandal involving the national security of our nation – which, if you will remember, was the GOP’s alleged excuse for investigating Hillary Clinton 33 times.
Steve King and his fellow Republicans have shirked their duty and their oaths of office. They have turned their backs on America and on our national security – all for the sake of tax cuts for the rich.
- Resistance Leader Maxine Waters Receives Standing Ovation at MTV Movie Awards - Mon, May 8th, 2017
- A Desperate Trump Lashes Out As Sally Yates Prepares to Testify - Mon, May 8th, 2017
- Idaho Republican Claims ‘Nobody Dies Because They Don’t Have Access to Health Care’ - Mon, May 8th, 2017
