GOP Sen. Kennedy Slammed for Promoting Debunked Ukraine Conspiracy Theory: ‘Where Complicity Meets Stupid’
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was raked across the coals on Sunday after he continued to advance Ukraine talking points that were overwhelmingly debunked by last week’s congressional witnesses in the Donald Trump impeachment inquiry.
During his interview with Chris Wallace, Kennedy told the Fox News host “I don’t know” if Russia or Ukraine was responsible for the interference in America’s 2016 election, “nor do you, nor do any others.” This comes after former National Security Council official Fiona Hill used her testimony to say the conspiracy theory that Ukraine perpetrated the election-meddling is a “fictional narrative” and a “politically driven falsehood” designed to advance Russia’s interests.
Kennedy’s disregard of Hill’s testimony may not come as a surprise, given that Trump ran with the conspiracy literally a day after she tore it apart in her hearing. As such, Kennedy dismissed Hill’s testimony as “her opinion,” even after Wallace noted that “the entire intelligence community” agrees with her assessment.
As such, numerous political observers were disgusted by Kennedy’s take, saying he’s deliberately ignoring facts in order to traffic pro-Russia conspiracy theories because he thinks it’ll help Trump.
The GOP is, sadly, now a “post-fact” party. It’s all about “your truth,” not “the truth”… https://t.co/FoBLUxTmTL
— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) November 24, 2019
Put another way, the entire intelligence community, along with the Russian-speaking, life-long expert on the region who was hired by Trump to be his top expert on this doesn't know as much about it as a senator from Louisiana who is trying to cover Trump's ass. https://t.co/SCEYju1ab8
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 24, 2019
It's one thing for an elected official to doubt intelligence agencies, but it's quite another for an official to push a baseless conspiracy theory obviously invented to deflect blame and confuse the public. Kennedy knows better; he voted for the Ukraine aid less than a year ago. https://t.co/zOtTe0Ewfo
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) November 24, 2019
Fiona Hill was not offering "an opinion." She was summarizing the conclusions of U.S. intelligence. https://t.co/DnXcOw70l9
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) November 24, 2019
As Fiona Hill noted, the message spread by Kennedy is Russian disinformation meant to undermine the United States and its allies. https://t.co/x2pIfiTQdf
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) November 24, 2019
Disinformation is worse than a lie
It tries to kill faith that there is any truth.
Question: “Who do you believe was responsible for hacking the DNC…was it Russia or Ukraine?”
Senator Kennedy (R-La.): “I don’t know. Nor do you. Nor do any of us.”
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) November 24, 2019
Justice is supposed to be blind, Senator, not Congress. https://t.co/pOS3NjtCDk
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) November 24, 2019
Trump’s legacy: The destruction of Truth. https://t.co/HGcx8Zak4F
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 24, 2019
Re-upping from Friday because of all the reporting this weekend showing the active strategy of Trump's faction in Congress — from Nunes to John Kennedy — is not just to prevent Trump's removal from office but to sell a Russian disinformation campaign to the American public. https://t.co/r5RM88CFW6
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) November 24, 2019
ME: Did aliens populate America before the Native Americans arrived?
KENNEDY: I don't know. Nor do you.
ME: Every expert agrees that there were no aliens here when Native Americans arrived from Asia.
KENNEDY: Right, but there could've been. I trust my feelings over experts. https://t.co/PYcICUlubr
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 24, 2019
This is where complicity meets stupid in a single person.?? https://t.co/Z3TNypAL73
— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) November 24, 2019
Not the least of these detractors was Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who attended Hill’s testimony as a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
No. It couldn’t. Stop spreading Russian propaganda. https://t.co/9CF64sgCZ5
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) November 24, 2019
Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.
