The complicity of Republican leadership in keeping Russian interference in the 2016 election from becoming public has been known for some time. For example, the Washington Post reported back in December 2016 that President Obama's CIA and intelligence agencies knew about the interference and were rebuffed by Republican leadership and most specifically Mitch McConnell in trying to make the information public. Now Greg Miller, one of the reporters on that story, has written a new book going into greater depth on the story. Here he is talking about McConnell's interference on CNN.
Greg Miller: This happens before the election. … The CIA has learned that Putin is overseeing this operation and they're trying to help elect Trump. Brennan sets in motion a series of private briefings with all congressional leaders. It's really an unusual, crazy moment in our history. He's trying to get their attention, trying to grab them by their collar.
He's meeting with McConnell, and McConnell is basically telling him, "you're telling us that Russia is trying to help elect Trump. If you try to come forward with this, I'm not going to sign onto any sort of public statement that would condemn Russian interference. But I will condemn you and the Obama administration for trying to mess up this election."
CNN: So he immediately saw it as political rather than the CIA doing their job and sounding the alarm.
Miller: Absolutely.
Fast forward to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, a deeply flawed, demonstrably dishonest, and wholly unqualified nominee who McConnell is determined to bully onto the court.
Kavanaugh may very well have made it onto Trump's short list and to the nomination because of his views that a sitting president can't be indicted. He's Trump's get-out-of-jail free card with the Mueller investigation. Maybe McConnell is looking for that same protection. Because if you're talking collusion, the stain sure as hell doesn't stop with the Trump campaign.
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