August 8, 2020

Nicolle Wallace welcomed Rep. Eric Swalwell to her show on Friday afternoon to discuss all things Russia, the Presidential election and how certain pro-Trump (and pro-Russia) allies in Congress are helping push Russian disinformation out to the American people. To put it bluntly - this is DEFCON 1, people. Republicans in Congress are actively working to sow discord and to help steal the election for Donald Trump. Again.

WALLACE: We welcome back to our broadcast Eric Swalwell. I want to get to what looks like a standoff at a terrible time for the country but in the commercial breaks some breaking news came through. U.S. intelligence officials confirming that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden and your first comments, let me read from what has been released about what Russia is up to as it relates to Joe Biden. This is from, I believe the office ODNI. "We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden in what it sees an anti-Russia establishment. This is consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was vice-president for his role in the Obama administration's policies on Ukraine, and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia. For example, pro-Russian parliamentarian Dirkok spreading claims about corruption through publicizing leaked phone calls to undermine former Vice President Biden's candidacy and the Democratic party. Some Kremlin linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television." Two-part question for you, one, with the assessment did any action plan get briefed to you whether classified, can you acknowledge whether it did or not? And, two, with this specificity, does that call into greater question the goings on of Trump allies, like Senator Johnson, who I believe, has picked up and is running with some of this Kremlin-backed propaganda about Joe Biden?

SWALWELL: Here we go again, Nicolle. This sounds awfully familiar, but it's the awareness that the American people need and we need an intelligence community that has directives from the President to counter this, that's the real question, is, will the President counter this information? But what I do not accept is that there's an equivalence between or among what Russia is doing and China and Iran are also doing who are in that assessment as well. Russia has a capability, a scope, an intent and a prior, as you would say in criminal law. They did this before. That is not articulated by those other countries. They have a preference for Donald Trump to be re-elected, as is described in the statement, and they have a preference to use their resources to denigrate Joe Biden, and they're doing it through the U.S. Senate, laundering this information by this individual who's described who has publicly said that he's sending materials to Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham so that they can try to tear down Joe Biden. Members of the U.S. Senate are acting as Russian launderers of this information to bring down a U.S. candidate. That's's reprehensible, it should stop. But finally, Nicolle, if you want to know why Donald Trump won't confront Vladimir Putin about these allegations of bounties on U.S. soldiers, there you go, Russia continues to support Donald Trump and he's not going to do a single thing even if it means defending U.S. troops, if it means that it would hurt his chances to be reelected.

[...]

WALLACE: I have one more question about, you know, the action plan, because we now know 88 days before our election that under Donald Trump's administration, the intelligence community has reached this conclusion that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden, Ron Johnson's committee seems to have taken the lead in the U.S. Senate, what are you going to do?

SWALWELL: Again, we have to make sure that the American people have as much awareness as possible and we have the majority in the House and again, couple of weeks ago that the American people didn't know this and Chairman Schiff was pushing for the whole Congress to know this, and a public statement to make it clear what Russia is doing. Awareness is a great disinfectant, but it's really incumbent on the American people to hold their Senators accountable, and there's - no U.S. Senator should be working in concert with a Russian influence operation and that has essentially been potentially exposed with this statement.

This what we are facing in this country. Democrats are not only fighting for the right to vote, but they are fighting Republicans, Russia, China, AND Republicans in Congress who are working FOR Russia. Truly good against evil. 88 days until election day - and even fewer in all of the states with early voting. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION AT www.vote.org. Make sure you are registered. Make sure your address is correct. If you need to request an absentee or mail-in ballot, do it THIS WEEKEND. This is truly DEFCON 1. ALL HANDS ON DECK!

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