Select Page

Probing the Russian connection in the 2016 campaign, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) spared over whether FBI Director James Comey was stonewalling the committee’s investigation. Nunes and Schiff have competing interests, despite sharing the same committee, with Democrats seeking to impeach President Donald Trump. Calling Comey “forthright,” Nunes disagreed with Schiff, suggesting the FBI director was deliberately withholding valuable information. “I would say at this point we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows,” Schiff said, assuming the FBI holds key information on Trump campaign’s collusion with the Russian government or its agents hacking the Democratic National Committee and private email account of Hillary Campaign Chairman John Podesta.

Schiff’s comments alleging FBI stonewalling fuel Democrats’ wild speculation about Trump collusion with Russian officials in the 2016 campaign. Schiff can’t explain if Podesta’s theory is correct about Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to help Trump win the election why Hillary got nearly 3 million more popular votes than Trump. You’d think that if Putin were really so successful in meddling with the 2016, Trump would have won more popular votes. Schiff threatened to subpoena FBI records on Trump’s alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 race, whether it happened or not. When you consider the Hillary campaign couldn’t find a shred of evidence linking Trump to Russia, it’s doubtful something different would turn up now. “But there were very large areas that were walled off and those walls are gonna have to come down if we’re gonna do our job,” said Schiff.

When Schiff talks of doing “our job,” he’s talking about establishing a Russian link to the Trump campaign, proving nothing other than certain Trump staffers spoke with Russian contacts. Whatever turns up, that’s a far cry from proving collusion on the 2016 election. Rocked by WikiLeaks revelations inside the DNC resulting in Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz resigning July 24, 2016 and embarrassing Podesta emails, the Democrats are out for blood. DNC officials can’t believe Russian hackers succeeded without Trump campaign involvement. “On the areas he [Comey] was willing to discuss, we had a very in depth set of questions and answers,” said Schiff saying nothing new about unfounded speculation about Trump campaign’s involvement with Russian government officials. Schiff’s attacks on Trump are a continuation of Podesta’s campaign tactics.

Democrats want to blame Putin for Trump’s Nov. 8 victory, despite knowing that Hillary won the popular vote by nearly 3 million. To believe that Russia influenced the election, you’d have to believe Putin brainwashed voters in Rust Belt swing states, where Hillary thought the so-called “blue wall” saved her from losing in key battlegrounds states of Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. When former CIA Director John Brennen said Dec. 16, 2016 that Russia tried to influence the election, Democrats hoped it would stop the Electoral College from meeting Dec. 19 to certify the election. Brennen insisted that Russia used propaganda, disinformation and fake news to help Trump win the election. Propaganda, disinformation and fake news is nothing new for Russian or any other foreign government trying to advance their agenda. Brennen’s remarks didn’t prove Trump campaign involvement in Russian hacking.

FBI Director James Comey agreed with Brennen that Russia most likely tried to help Trump win the election. He based his findings, like Brennen, on a raft of public remarks coming from Moscow, indicating that Putin favored Trump in the election. Most foreign powers have preference for U.S. presidential candidates. However foreign governments try to influence U.S. elections, either by favorable press reports, opinion pieces or any other kind of propaganda, that doesn’t mean that there’s a measurable impact on the results. Whipping up Russian hysteria resulted in National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn forced to resign because he didn’t share conversations with Russian Amb. Sergey Kislyak with Vice President Mike Pence. White House officials admitted that Flynn did nothing wrong, including talking to Kislyak about Obama’s new economic sanctions.

Pressuring Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to recuse himself March 2 in any Justice Department probe of Russian-Trump campaign collusion, House Minority Leader Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Sessions admitted guilt. Pelosi found Sessions guilty of talking with Russian Amb. Sergey Kislyak, hyping the link between the Trump campaign and collusion with Russia. No one from the FBI, CIA or any intel agency has found a link between the Trump campaign and Russian hacking or any attempt to influence the 2016 election. Citing Russian propaganda, disinformation and fake news does not mean that the Trump campaign used Russia to win the election. With Hillary winning 3 million more popular votes, it’s illogical to conclude that Russia helped Trump win the election. Whether or not any Trump campaign officials talked with Russia, it doesn’t amount to Kremlin collusion.