By Dustin Rowles | Politics | December 19, 2017 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | December 19, 2017 |
Yesterday, it was revealed that the Senate Intelligence Committee was investigating “Dr.” Jill Stein for possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election.
BREAKING: Senator Burr confirms that the Senate Intel Committee is investigating the Jill Stein campaign for possible "Collusion with Russia"!!
— Brian Krassenstein🬠(@krassenstein) December 19, 2017
Social media was giddy about this news, as one might expect.
Hillary Clinton has to be laughing tonight after learning Jill Stein has joined Donald Trump as being under investigation, while she enjoys a glass of wine and the peace of mind that she is the only candidate from the 2016 election probably not going to jail.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) December 18, 2017
Currently Indicted/Accepted Guilty Pleas
— PROUD RESISTER 👊 (@ProudResister) December 19, 2017
— Paul Manafort
— Rick Gates
— George Papadopoulos
— Michael Flynn
Currently Under Investigation
— Jill Stein
— Jared Kushner
— Donald Trump Jr
— Donald Trump
Currently Laughing Her Ass Off
— Hillary Clinton
Jill Stein right now. pic.twitter.com/CAjQ2b4znx
— Gabe #DreamActNow Ortíz (@TUSK81) December 18, 2017
Wait. Jill Stein is under Senate investigation for ties to Russia now too? pic.twitter.com/WBNjb6HYYx
— Imani Gandy Canes (@AngryBlackLady) December 18, 2017
Just read that the Senate Intelligence Committee is looking into Jill Stein and I'm like pic.twitter.com/2EGZNgstLA
— Jamie Valliere (@jamievllr) December 18, 2017
Jill Stein at Happy Hour tonight pic.twitter.com/sDx1ddielV
— T. Kyle (@tkylemac) December 18, 2017
Democrats and Hillary supporters are obviously smarting from an election that saw Jill Stein receive more votes than Trump’s margin of victory in the three crucial battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. She Nader’d the election, and aside from that, she’s a generally unpleasant person who does not believe in vaccination despite claiming to be a doctor. She sucks, and Susan Sarandon sucks for promoting Stein over Hillary.
But is there actually anything to this? Or is this a fishing expedition by the Senate Intelligence Committee? Is it possible that Senate Republicans are setting Stein up as a scapegoat or a distraction? I don’t know. We do know that Jill Stein was spotted sitting at the same table as Putin at an RT dinner in 2015, and also, according to Politico, Russia funded a lot of ads for Stein (but they also did so for Trump and Sanders). It’s clear that Russia wanted anyone but Hillary to win, and it’s clear that they promoted other candidates. The question is whether those candidates coordinated or colluded with the Russians. We have seen a number of meetings and contacts (now numbering over 30) between the Russians and the Trump campaign, but the only publicly known meeting between Russians and Stein is this photo:
Flynn, Putin, & Jill Stein.
— Laurie Crosswell (@lauriecrosswell) December 18, 2017
Hillary is not in this picture because her heart beats for America. pic.twitter.com/dCgRHkxXkF
So, you know: Take some delight in the fact that the spoiler for the 2016 election is being investigated, but be skeptical about the reasoning. A photo does not collusion make, and if we build up this investigation and nothing comes of it, the GOP could very well use that “nothing burger” to buttress any claims they have that the Trump campaign didn’t collude. It is odd, after all, that while the House Republicans are trying to shut down their Russian probe, Senate Republicans, at the very same time, are turning their attention to Jill Stein.
As always, keep your attention focused on Mueller. If he starts investigating Jill Stein, then maybe there’s something there. This? All I see, so far, is political gamesmanship.