Day 1,127: ‘Da’ja vu: Russia seeking to interfere in 2020 to get Trump reelected
The Russians are apparently quite happy with their 2016 choice for president, Donald Trump. They’re so tickled that they are currently trying to interfere with the 2020 election to get him a second term, according to U.S. intelligence officials.
Intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get President Donald Trump reelected, five people familiar with the matter said, in a disclosure that angered Trump, who complained that Democrats would use it against him.
The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, Trump berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Trump cited the presence in the briefing of Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., who led the impeachment proceedings against him, as a particular irritant.
Republicans, meanwhile, angrily questioned the non-partisan intelligence that outlined two of Moscow’s key goals.
“The Republicans responded as you would expect. They went nuts,” said the person. “They questioned the intelligence.”
The briefers warned the committee in the classified briefing that Russia was working to cast doubt on the integrity of the Nov. 3 vote while at the same time boosting Trump’s election to a second four-year term.
Trump’s anger and concern come not from the further damage Russia seeks to do to American institutions. Protecting the nation is far from Trump’s mind. His obsession is with people finding out about Russia’s desires to keep Trump installed in the White House. Trump doesn’t want it to be known that Russia is backing him him in 2020, but, as he proved in 2016 — “Russia, if you’re listening” — he is more than happy to take the help.
He has also been incredibly sensitive to anyone pointing out that he won in 2016 in large part due to Russian tactics. The CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly confirmed Russia’s involvement in the undermining of U.S. democracy in 2016.
This time around, Trump is actively trying to keep vital intelligence from the hands of lawmakers. Those same lawmakers have been duly elected by their constituents to protect the republic using, in part, intelligence from U.S. agencies.
In other news, Trump just tapped a wholly unqualified and partisan sycophant to head national intelligence for the foreseeable future.
1,127 days in, 335 to go
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