Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale blatantly contradicted the redacted Mueller report on Wednesday, calling the conclusion that Russians tried to help the Trump campaign “a joke.”
“There was never any help from the Russians,” he added, according to ABC affiliate WJLA.
This in direct contradiction to a finding in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report:
“Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” (pg. 13)
While Mueller did not conclude that the Trump campaign actively worked with the Russians, he at least confirmed that the Trump campaign was aware that it would politically profit off of the Russian’s interference.
Parscale’s attitude fits with his boss’. Trump reportedly hates being reminded of the Russians’ past meddling or the future threat it poses, getting so incensed that it undermines the validity of his 2016 victory that Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has actively scuttled attempts to discuss it.
h/t Jake Tapper.
You can put virtually anything Team Trump says before “That’s not true”. Does this even belong in the “News” column?
The Russians found that the Trumps, singly and in toto, were just too damn dumb to conspire with. I guess that’s a uniquely American defense.
The Russians instead just helped themselves.
Of course it does. The fact that they constantly tell huge lies in direct contradiction of the most widely known facts makes it more newsworthy, not less. Do you want the lies to go unremarked on? Think that would help? People believe this stuff. Maybe not your friends but enough to get him elected once and maybe enough to do it again. You can’t complain the media aren’t pushing back enough one day and then ask “Why is this even news?” another. People have to realize what blatant liars they are.
Choosing Russia over America. Dangerous cult you got there Republicans.
But it is such obvious and old news. (I agree that in a way, the sheer volume and audacity of the lies is big news, but anyone who has been paying even a modicum of attention, or is likely to, already knows this.) It is getting to be a little like seeing headlines every day that my cat has used her litter box, and it needs to be cleaned.