Fiona Hill Had GOPers On The Run For Downplaying Russian Meddling In 2016 | Talking Points Memo

The former Russia and Europe director on the White House National Security Council drew Republican fury during her impeachment inquiry testimony Thursday for accusing GOP inquisitors of downplaying Russian election meddling.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1264663
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But Stefanik’s denunciation rang a little hollow. Here’s why.
Republicans haven’t challenged Trump’s crazy theory about Crowdstrike, which absolves Russia of meddling in 2016.

and yet, where was the Democratic pushback on Stefanik? Where were the Democrats, demanding to know why Trump was advancing a deranged Russian disinformation campaign theory – who was Trump talking to that he believes this crap? Does he have people in his inner circle who are Russian agents/operatives/dupes? Isn’t it obvious that this represents a massive security risk — that there are so many people telling Trump lies in the White House? And why doesn’t Stefanik show the least bit of concern for this?

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Solution:

Comrades Graham, Johnson and Grassley.

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“And if we start down this path, not discounting what one individual or a couple of individuals might have done, ahead of our 2020 elections, we are setting ourselves up for the same kind of failures and intelligence failures that we had before.”

Uh, yeah, they know that and that’s the whole fucking point. That’s their explicit GOAL. All they need is a few terms, 12-16 years of full control and it’s over, the democracy is done and we’re stuck with permanent minority rules white Christian hegemony led by the progeny of the Confederacy, and THAT won’t end until we start a war. Enlisting Russia/Putin’s help is specifically because they want what Putin has and has set up in Russia. He is the master of it and is providing them with the tools to create it.

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“Fiona Hill Had GOPers On The Run…”

I’m starting to think Republicans have a real problem with strong, smart, self-confident women.

(Speaker Pelosi: “Indeed.”)

(Sec. Clinton: “Yep.”)

(Sens. Warren and Harris: “Amen.”)

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Dr. Hill nailed the conspiracy between Russia and GOP leaders.

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On the run or slithering furiously?

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The best part was when that weasel Wenstrep(?) started bellyaching to Adam Schiff that he didn’t ask her a question, so she shouldn’t be allowed to respond to his drivel. In her response, Dr. Hill did make reference to the two prior GOP weasels who also refused to ask her a question.

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The democrats need to really amp up their language. As in:

“Congressman X, you are repeating - As the patriot Fiona Hill told you - Putin’s debunked conspiracy theories designed to undermine the United States. Why are you spouting out Putin’s lies? Why are you trying to sell Russian Propaganda? Where does your loyality lie sir? With America? or your Party?”

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They’re secretly bewitched, bothered, and bewildered by AOC, though.

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Pretty weird premise for an article when the Senate GOP is now abusing power to officially investigate this idiocy in order to help defend Trump and win the WH in 2020. Yeah, Hill sure showed them and had them on the run…

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“Not a single Republican member of this committee has said that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 elections,”

OK, Stefanik, I’ll take you at your word, even though it sickens me to do so.

But you’ve spent a lot of time and spittle insisting that they weren’t alone, in spite of all the evidence.

My god, between this, the failure to subpoena Rudy, senators coordinating defense strategies with the WH, I’m headed for a heart attack or some kind of outburst that’s gonna do me in.

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Exactly. When will Dems coordinate a sustained, repeated demand to know why Trump and Republicans are pushing this Russian GRU fiction that only benefits Russia. Democrats should be asking this daily. Along with pointing out the number of Republicans who spent that July 4th weekend in Russia and sat at Putin’s table.

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And this afternoon, Grassley and Johnson are further pushing the Ukraine/DNC conspiracy. So, thanks for trying, Fiona.

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We know Senate Republicans, in cahoots with the defendant, will not do their Constitutional duty, and really, there’s nothing we can do about it.

But we haven’t played all our cards yet. The Monday decision regarding Don McGahn will, I suspect, order him to testify. Though he (or the Administration) will appeal that, it does open the door for Bolton to testify -which will be helpful to Democrats. And if they wait long enough, they could get Mulvaney, Pompeo, Perry, and others.

Ultimately, the question for the Speaker is since Republicans have made their intentions clear, what’s the best path for Democrats and justice to prevail? A quick vote in the House followed by a relatively quick ending in the Senate. Or further investigations in the House, review of more documents and submitting more subpoenas and dragging it out.

I think I prefer the dragging it out approach as I think there’s a lot more that we still don’t know. There are the tax records still out there, unresolved issues from the Mueller Report, and so much more. Though, I admit, it may not ultimately matter in the corrupt body led by Moscow Mitch.

It may be the very best we can do is to clearly show the American people the abject corruption of Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party, and to let them decide if this is a country worth saving. I’m not comfortable with what that answer may be in terms of the electoral college.

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Nice, but to quote Fonzie from “Happy Days”, “The bullfight’s not over 'til the matador spits” and the one big thing we’ve yet to see anything on is the financial side. Evidence clearly points to millions in Russian money being funneled to the entire GOP apparatus - we need an accounting, interviews with the bagmen, charts showing who got what, s few arrests (starting perhaps with some NRA folks). You pull on these threads and the who thing unravels. Until then, the GOP are all motivated to lie, deflect, support Donnie to the bitter end but once it’s out those who got the cash will be disarmed and those who didn’t can rally around Mitt Romney and start to rebuild their party.

So, I know the New York folks have been looking at financials, I know we’re waiting for tax returns and I know some of those bagmen are starting to waver. You think this season was exciting, wait until the new season starts and all this starts to unravel. I believe Pelosi has this scheduled for our screens starting in January, hope I’m right…

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So you’re saying the GOP has jumped the snark?

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Dr. Hill is a pawn. Yesterday didn’t happen as far as the black side is concerned, because they have two queens, Barr and SCOTUS, while white side has maybe a rook left in Schiff. That’s it. The Oligarchy News Networks either don’t understand or care. A few of the not quite fully onboard thug Senators were summoned to the WH to have this made more clear to them yesterday.

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As a matter of fact, yes:

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Hill’s criticisms were entirely warranted. It was illuminative to watch Republicans claim ‘Russia hoax’ on days 1-11, then on day 12 be outraged that anyone would claim they downplayed Russia’s intervention…only for Nunes to use it again at the end of the day.

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