Russia’s Vladimir Putin had a grudge against Hillary Clinton, so he helped a willing, lawless Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. Trump told ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that he did not see anything wrong with accepting help from the Russians in 2020 and in essence: everyone does it.
The Republicans in the Senate and the House have abdicated so many basic parts of Congress: War, the Budget, and now they appeared to be trying for Oversight. That will be decided by Senate votes this week unless American citizens rise up and tell their senators “no.” The Republicans in the Senate have been making the case for a classic third-world policy.
As Republican Senators can’t decide whether or not to allow witnesses and documents, Adam Schiff tells them that Trump is pushing Russian propaganda. #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/leZgCvjAHk
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 30, 2020
On the Senate floor, House Intelligence Committee Chair and impeachment head Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that this was a “descent into Constitutional madness.” The GOP gave the president “whatever he wants,” including an “illicit foreign election.”
The California representative said:
‘If Secretary Pompeo was correct and you can’t use your own intelligence agencies, you sure shouldn’t be able to use the Russian ones or the Ukrainian ones. And here, you know, we have the president on that phone call pushing out this Russian propaganda.’
Schiff continued:
‘This Russian intelligence service propaganda, Crowdstrike. The server. As if there was just one server and it was whisked away to Ukraine. The Ukrainians hacked the server, not Russians. Made for you in the Kremlin conspiracy theory that undermines our own intelligence agencies but suit the political interests of the president and his legal agent Rudy Giuliani is out there peddling this fiction. The president himself is out there promoting this fiction standing side by side with Vladimir Putin. But you’re absolutely right. It would be a monumental abuse of power and it is a monumental abuse of power.’
The Russians have not been whiling away their time. No, a Russian “propaganda machine” just chose Kansas City for its second radio broadcast site this month, according to KCUR. A Radio Sputnik spokesperson to the local NPR station noted the other location was already in Washington, D.C. and has been on air since 2017. This organization, Rossiya Segodnya, emailed:
‘We’d love to broadcast in all major U.S. markets. But unfortunately, U.S. authorities are working really hard to prevent us from doing so.’
Another radio station based in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area signed a three-year deal to broadcast Radio Sputnik’s English-language program across Kansas City, hitting two states at once, Kansas and Missouri:
‘Commuters interested in conspiracy theories about George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and the Republican National Committee have a new option, courtesy of the Russian government.’
It is produced by Putin and was designed in 2013 to promote Russian interests abroad. The company has been represented by an agent turned Florida businessman, Arnold Ferolito:
‘KCXL and Rossiya Segodnya, a Moscow-based organization that controls both Radio Sputnik and RT, a television news network formerly known as Russia Today.
‘The government pressed Ferolito and Sputnik to register under FARA after U.S. intelligence agencies investigated Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election. One report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that Radio Sputnik is part of a “state-run propaganda machine” that served as a “platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences.”’
Ferolito disagreed with the idea that “Radio Sputnik broadcasts propaganda.” Then, he pointed out other state-run media groups: Voice of America and Chinese Radio International. The organization was broadcast via Reuter “in more than a dozen American cities:”
‘I really think we should have the ability to listen to anything you want. Today people are growing up with a stupid ideology.’
One example of the propaganda originated with guest Robert Luongo:
‘[He] claimed George Soros — a billionaire investor who is a frequent target of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories — wants to split the Democratic party in two. Soros’ ultimate goal, Luongo said, is “the destruction of America.”’
MSNBC commentator and former RNC Chair Michael Steele said he is still a Republican, but he was “Motel 6,” meaning the light was still on and he was offering the country hope.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
