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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'I Thought There Would Be More Jeff Flakes, More John McCains, More Bob Corkers'
Adam Schiff says Republicans are doing Trumps dirty work on the Russia investigation.
By SUSAN B. GLASSER March 19, 2018
What was it like inside the partisan hot mess that was the House Intelligence Committees investigation of President Donald Trump and the 2016 Russian election meddling?
Republicans abruptly shut down the probe last week, giving no notice to their Democratic counterparts before announcing they had not uncovered proof of Trump or his campaigns collusion with the Russians and, whats more, they did not even agree with the U.S. intelligence communitys finding that Russia had interfered in 2016 specifically with the goal of electing Trump. Trump gleefully tweeted out the news, in all capital letters in case the point wasnt clear.
But the timing seemed terrible. The sudden end to the House probe came the very same week the president himselfwhile stepping up his attacks on special prosecutor Robert Muellers witch huntfinally and belatedly authorized new sanctions to respond to the Russian hacking. Newspaper editorialists, angry Democrats and even a few Republicans had a field day; the Daily Beast summed up the mocking coverage by calling the Republican report the equivalent of a half-researched term paper.
The backlash was such that even on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace seemed to eviscerate the House exercise as little more than a cover-up for Trump, pointing out that the committee had never heard from key witnesses ranging from former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadapoulos. Your conclusion is not conclusive, he said to one of the Republican members, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.).
more + audio of the interview:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/19/i-thought-there-would-be-more-jeff-flakes-more-john-mccains-more-bob-corkers-217655
lame54
(35,284 posts)Thinking more repugs would do the right thing - yeah right
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)shame to others, i.e., the electorate. Schiff is not really a stupid man.
Someone was tossing flowers at Jeff Flake this morning for being "principled" and speaking out against what his fellow Republicans are doing these days. But the GOP was already on an ethical downslope in the 1980s, picked up dangerous speed in the 1990s and ever since has been roaring corrupted and out of control, except by its donors.
Flake first took office in 2001. For his entire career he has played his part in the severe corruption and betrayal of the GOP. I bet all our long-time Democrats could dine out every night for the rest of their lives on stories about their Republican colleagues from this period.
tblue37
(65,328 posts)in most of their criticisms of Trump.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)as to right and wrong, though. They're still trying to protect the guilt and the guilty.
tblue37
(65,328 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)so he's still trying to destroy the New Deal amap in the time left -- against the will of the people, while deploring OTHER Repub behaviors that are threatening his libertarian goals.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,406 posts)Of course, one thing that nearly all of the aforementioned GOPers have in common, however, is that they're leaving the Senate (and McCain probably doesn't have long to live) and don't have to worry about their re-election and are, thus, freer to speak their minds.
poboy2
(2,078 posts)We may become a fascist state by Nov..
retread
(3,762 posts)LAS14
(13,783 posts)... this whole Trump fiasco is to find out how few Republicans see themselves as defenders of our constitution, complete with checks and balances. Oh for the days of Watergate.
DFW
(54,349 posts)Even Jeff Flake, John McCain and Bob Corker were not "Jeff Flakes, John McCains, or Bob Corkers."
Look at their voting records in Congress, not their noble speeches. Their speeches were go high, but their votes on the Senate floor--what counts when you're a U.S. Senator--were cockroach-crawling low, as usual.