The manic chants of Russia, Russia, Russia aren’t stopping anytime soon, thanks to a media establishment that remains in denial and to Democrats like Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) accused Schiff of leaking “inaccurate” intelligence claiming that Russia wants to help Donald Trump win the 2020 election, Fox News reported. The Republican blamed Democrats in general for undermining Americans’ faith in democracy by blowing conspiracies about Russia out of proportion and falsely accusing the president of collusion.
“Look, I’m not trying to be hyperbolic here, but I don’t know anyone in the last three years who has done more to help Vladimir Putin and Russia with their efforts to sow the seeds of discord in American elections and American election security than Adam Schiff has,” he told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.
Ratcliffe blames Schiff for leaks
In what looked like a repeat of 2016, reports surfaced last week that lawmakers had been briefed about a plot by Russia to help Trump win the 2020 election. Ratcliffe, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the leaks were part of an “all too familiar pattern” of Democrats working with the media to smear Trump and that the leaked information was not accurate.
“We see, when there’s a story about — that is allegedly anti-Trump or negative for the president, it shows up in newspapers, because either Democratic members or Democratic staffers leak it. The problem is, in this case, they have leaked information that’s not accurate,” he said.
Trump has accused Schiff, one of his top foes, of purposefully leaking the intelligence and has called for an investigation into the Democrat. Ratcliffe also blamed Schiff for the fresh leaks, adding that he and his fellow Dems have done more than Russia could ever dream to damage Americans’ faith in their democratic institutions.
Interests aligned
Ratcliffe acknowledged that Russians interfered in 2016 and said that they will again in 2020. But he blamed Democrats for helping Russia, pointing to their role — especially Schiff’s — in spreading the disproven Russia collusion theory, in peddling the salacious and false Christopher Steele dossier, and in defending the FBI against accusations that it abused surveillance powers to spy on the Trump campaign.
“All of these things have been done by Democrats to really — for their political gain, but has promoted everything that Russia has tried to accomplish. And the Democrats have been their biggest allies,” he said.
Those accusations were later proven true when the DOJ’s internal watchdog released a report faulting the FBI for lying to justify spying on he Trump campaign. But Schiff lied to get Trump, Ratcliffe said, adding:
He saw that there was exculpatory information. He saw that the Steele dossier was central and essential to those FISA applications. And he went out and told the American people the opposite. And now he’s at it again by putting out, through his committee, information that is false.
Traitorous pattern
The reports of Russian interference have been met with some skepticism, especially after claims surfaced that the Russians also want to help Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Trump’s potential general election opponent. Some centrist Democrats have capitalized on those claims to attack Sanders, while others see echoes of the media’s malicious treatment of Trump dating back to 2016.
In India on Tuesday, Trump denied that he was ever told about Russia’s alleged desire to help him in the election and said he sympathized with Sanders’ situation. “They don’t want him, so they put out a thing that Russia’s backing him. This is what they do. I’ve gone through it for a long time. I get it,” Trump said.
Indeed, with Democrats like Schiff in positions of leadership, Russia has no need to craft elaborate plots to destroy America.
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