Everyone knew Sen. Johnson's bogus probe would help Trump. Then he just said it out loud

Daily Kos Staff

Friday August 14, 2020 · 10:52 AM PDT

2020/08/14 · 10:52

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 18: Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) questions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz during a Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs hearing at the US Capitol on December 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. Last week the Inspector General released a report on the origins of the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's possible ties with Russia during the 2016 Presidential elections. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) — GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

After a top GOP senator stringently denied that his probe into Joe Biden's diplomacy in Ukraine as vice president was politically motivated, he went on a radio show and plainly admitted the investigation "would certainly help" Donald Trump, according to Politico.

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, also admitted in the clip that his foregone conclusion before conducting the investigation was that corruption occurred—an assertion for which there's zero evidence to date.

"The more that we expose of the corruption of the transition process between Obama and Trump, the more we expose of the corruption within those agencies, I would think it would certainly help Donald Trump win reelection and certainly be pretty good, I would say, evidence about not voting for Vice President Biden," Johnson said in a Tuesday interview with Minneapolis-based radio hosts Jon Justice and Drew Lee. Again, no one has uncovered corruption in the transition process and, in fact, not a single person in Obama's squeaky clean administration was ever indicted.

Democrats have been increasingly sounding the alarm bells about Johnson using his committee to launder Russian disinformation provided to him by pro-Russian Ukrainians. At least one of those Ukrainian sources, KGB-educated Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Derkach, was also named by the U.S. director of national intelligence in a statement last week warning of Russia's ongoing interference campaign to help Trump get reelected.

Johnson has denied taking information from Derkach, but his probe bears an obvious resemblance to the investigation Trump tried to strong-arm Ukrainian officials into launching before a whistleblower complaint blew up his scheme. Johnson also knew about Trump's attempt to delay $400 million in aid to Ukraine in order to extract the probe, but Johnson sat on the information. He's also one of seven GOP senators who in 2018 decided Moscow was the perfect place to celebrate America's Independence Day—July 4—alongside top Russian officials. (Frankly, the Republicans were snubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they had hoped to meet with).

Earlier this week, Johnson vigorously defended his probe in an 11-page screed accusing Democrats of spreading disinformation. He also subpoenaed the FBI for classified records related to the origins of the FBI's Russia probe. Just to be clear, Democrats aren't trying to launch a baseless probe that perfectly matches the warnings of U.S. intelligence officials about Russian efforts to "denigrate" Biden. Sen. Johnson is doing that. In fact, the day after Johnson dashed off that defense of his probe, he went on a radio show and flat-out admitted his probe has clear political implications for the November election. Care to see that again?

"I would think it would certainly help Donald Trump win reelection," Johnson said Tuesday. Case closed.

And in case there was any doubt about Johnson's malfeasance, some Republican senators on his own committee have been mounting an effort to block him from subpoenaing former FBI director James Comey and former CIA director John Brennan. Johnson’s probe is just that obviously corrupt, not to mention a gift to Putin.

What a sad excuse for a U.S. senator.

Everyone knew Sen. Johnson's bogus probe would help Trump. Then he just said it out loud

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