In past decades we could count on the Republican Party to be the party of anti-Russia/Communism. Today’s Republican Party not so much. Today every United States Intelligence Agency has stated unequivocally that Russia interfered with our election process in the 2016 election. The Intelligence Agencies have shared the evidence of this interference with Republican leadership. The leadership of the Republican Party has embraced Russia instead of heeding the warnings of the United States intelligence agencies.
Watching the activity of his party, former press secretary for George W. Bush, Nicolle Wallace, stated, “The Republican Party has become the pro-Russia, anti-FBI party.”
When Democratic president Barack Obama
was briefed on the Russian election interference, he drafted a joint letter to warn state election officials about computer intrusion threats by Russia. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
obstinately refused to put the name Russia in the letter softening the language to make the caution more generic instead of addressing the eminent threat it was.
The Republican president of the United States does not believe our country’s intelligence agencies. Instead in July 2018 the president said, “I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia (who interfered in our election process). I will say this; I don’t see any reason why it would be.” The president followed this statement with these words, “I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
The Republican Party leadership joins the president and scoffs at the intelligence evidence and instead trumpets unfounded conspiracy theories about the Ukrainian government interfering with our elections. The United States intelligence agencies debunk the conspiracy theory related to the Ukraine. No matter, Republican leadership continues to loudly push this unfounded Russian initiated conspiracy. (Alexa play: Back in the USSR by The Beatles)
During the impeachment process Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) tried to change the focus of the proceedings by asking what was the full extent of Ukraine’s election meddling against the Trump campaign? This is a brazen attempt to change the narrative and push a debunked conspiracy theory created by Vladimir Putin. Representative Nunes isn’t sounding like an anti-Russia/Communist politician.
Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) has pushed the falsehood that “both Russia and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election.” He is trying to muddy the water of Russian interference with another attempt at refocusing the discussion off the actions of the president of the United States and on to a Russian conspiracy theory. Not a very anti-Russia political move.
Today’s Republican Party loudly expresses a preference for a murderous thug like Vladimir Putin over the entire United States Intelligence apparatus. These are not the actions of a party that is anti-Russia/Communism. These are not the actions of a political party that wants to protect our election process from interference by other countries. These are not the words of a political party determined to protect the world from murderous thugs like Vladimir Putin.
I didn’t agree with much of what the old Republican Party stood for, but I believed the party was truly interested in legislating for the best of the United States of America. I cannot say the same today as I watch the Republican Party subjugate itself to Vladimir Putin.
See you next time.