Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released a redacted version of the final report on their yearlong investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Don’t worry; I read it for you. The report concludes that neither the president nor his known associates “colluded, coordinated, or conspired with the Russian government.”
This, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of how you fall on your sword—casting aside any moral or legal obligations to serve the American people—in order to protect a man who would sell you up the river for his self-interest.
The 253-page “Report on Russian Active Measures” (pdf) runs counter to everything everyone else in the intelligence community has said about the Russian involvement in the election, and because the Republicans know this, they use the report to launch a counterattack against the FBI and the intelligence community at large.
The report documents Russia’s subversive efforts in Europe and its attacks on the United States, and details contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians or Russian intermediaries, all while claiming that there was no collusion and insinuating that Russia wasn’t really trying to help Trump win the election—it just wanted to incite “division and discord among Americans.”
The intelligence community is accused of “significant intelligence tradecraft failings” in the report, and both the Clinton and Trump campaigns are called out for “poor judgment and ill-considered actions” for using Russia to try and dig up dirt on each other.
Of course your president—who never misses an opportunity to act like a petty child—got on Twitter to celebrate the Republican findings, saying that based on this, the Mueller investigation should be ended immediately.
“Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released,” Trump wrote. “‘No evidence’ that the Trump Campaign ‘colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.’ Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!”
Former CIA chief John Brennan quickly gathered your president up about that, and he used his @ for good measure.
“A highly partisan, incomplete, and deeply flawed report by a broken House Committee means nothing,” Brennan wrote. “The Special Counsel’s work is being carried out by professional investigators—not political staffers. SC’s findings will be comprehensive & authoritative. Stay tuned, Mr. Trump....”
House Democrats on the committee issued their own rebuttal of the report (pdf) Friday and rebuked it as “a systematic effort to muddy the waters, and to deflect attention away from the president, most recklessly in their assault on the central pillars of the rule of law.”
“Their report, as with their overall conduct of the investigation, is unworthy of this Committee, the House of Representatives, and most importantly, the American people, who are now left to try to discern what is true and what is not,” the Democrats wrote.
Democrats say that they remain committed to continuing the investigation they feel Republicans on the committee ended too quickly, saying, “Congress has an obligation to find out the truth and inform the American people. ... To the best of our ability, we will continue to do so, until such time as the full Congress once again lives up to its oversight responsibilities.”