Last week, the Russia investigation took yet another new turn with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s decision to indict a group of Russian nationals for their efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections. These indictments should serve as a final indication to anyone and everyone that the Russia scandal isn’t a sham or a “witch hunt.” Even still, however, the president refuses to take any significant steps to combat the threat posed to the United States by Russian interference.
Prominent Democratic U.S. House member and ranking member on the House Intel Committee Adam Schiff is among the Americans who have had enough. He posted a statement to Twitter Sunday attacking the president for his utter inaction in the face of the Russia threat.
Schiff himself was mentioned by the president yet again on Twitter this Sunday morning, with the president expressing support for his view that the Obama administration probably should have done more to combat Russian interference while it was still in power.
That’s a much more eloquent description of the president’s idea than he himself provided, however. He simply turned the indictments into yet another excuse to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes — attacking our most recent former president, Barack Obama, roping in Schiff in the process.
He wrote:
‘Finally, Liddle’ Adam Schiff, the leakin’ monster of no control, is now blaming the Obama Administration for Russian meddling in the 2016 Election. He is finally right about something. Obama was President, knew of the threat, and did nothing. Thank you Adam!’
Firstly, it’s a gross misrepresentation of the Congressman’s remarks to say he’s “blaming the Obama Administration for Russian meddling in the 2016 election.” The exaggeration here is on par with the time that Trump claimed that Obama and Hillary Clinton founded ISIS.
Secondly, no questionable inaction on the part of the Obama administration excuses Trump’s own inaction in the face of the mounting evidence that he needs to do something. He hasn’t even imposed the sanctions passed by an overwhelming majority of Congress against Russia; he’s seemingly that far in their pocket.
Responding to the president late Sunday, Schiff wrote:
‘Sorry for delay @POTUS. Was on a plane back from Munich where General McMaster confronted Russia over its meddling. I’ve always said Obama should’ve acted sooner. But you won’t recognize the truth, impose sanctions or act at all. If McMaster can stand up to Putin, why can’t you?’
As Schiff mentions in his statement, the president’s own current national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, has used the recently handed down indictments as a reason to point out yet again that it’s an “incontrovertible” fact that Russia meddled in our most recent general elections. Even still, the president does nothing.
Besides his attack on Schiff, the president also mentioned his national security adviser on Twitter late Saturday, backhandedly going after McMaster for not being sufficiently in line with the Trump propaganda machine in his remarks.
Of McMaster, the president wrote:
‘General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!’
Trump is literally just rattling off a list of talking points here, including some that have long been proven irrelevant, such as the allegation that Hillary Clinton personally facilitated a corrupt sale of American uranium to Russian interests.
Check out Twitter’s response to the way Schiff chose to take on all of this below.
Featured Image via Win McNamee/Getty Images
