Lindsey Graham says he's '1,000% confident' Russia meddled in 2016 US election -- not Ukraine

[CuriousAsterisk]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday said he is "1,000% confident" that Russia, not Ukraine, meddled in the 2016 US presidential election, breaking from President Donald Trump and others in his party who have pushed the discredited conspiracy theory.

"It was the Russians. I'm 1,000% confident that the hack of the DNC was by Russian operatives, no one else," the South Carolina senator told reporters on Capitol Hill.

He reiterated his stance to CNN saying, "I've got no doubt that it was the Russians who stole the DNC emails. It wasn't Ukraine. Russia was behind the stolen DNC emails and (John) Podesta and all that good stuff."

Graham continued later in the same interview: "So as to the Ukraine, they had zero to do with the hacking of the DNC and the stealing of the emails. Whether or not people from the Ukraine met with DNC operatives, I don't know. All I've seen is press reports that no one has validated."

His comments come as the impeachment probe into Trump and Ukraine moves into the next phase. The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday released its report detailing how the President sought political gain through his dealings with Ukraine. The House Judiciary Committee will hold its first impeachment hearing on Wednesday.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/03/politics/lindsey-graham-russia-election-meddling-ukraine-conspiracy/index.html

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YEEESSSSS!!! Lindsey Graham is breaking with Trump!!! Lindsey Graham is breaking with Trump!!!!

OMG. OMG. OMG. YESSSSSSSS!!!

Come to the light side, Lindsey. It's still warm. And better than Trump.

[RandySF]

1. Give that man a sticker!

[beachbumbob]

2. Graham must be off his happy pills

[Xipe Totec]

30. Graham is feeling the sphincter of death. nt

[beachbumbob]

42. or perhaps the polling in SC is showing him something?

[lagomorph777]

46. Leningrad Lindsey senses a change in the wind direction.

He's afraid he's about to get blown away along with the rest of the GOP filth.

[ck4829]

49. Or on them

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Just wait. He's having a fit of lucidity but it won't be long before

he crawls back up inside Trump's colon again.

[Piasladic]

41. completely agree

Every time I thought he was coming around, he went around the bend.

[ck4829]

50. And that's what makes this really disappointing

[Iliyah]

4. Graham has flipped to often . . .

[Rebl2]

21. I don't trust

him any longer.

[brush]

5. Make up your mind, Graham.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. He's giving me whiplash n/t

[ck4829]

48. Right

[wcmagumba]

7. Filp/Walkback Coming in...

24-48 hrs...LG is a totally compromised wack job freak...

[Leghorn21]

8. Wait wut

[cstanleytech]

9. No, he isnt breaking from him. How this will play out is that when Trump is impeached in the House

it will go to the Senate for trial and the Republicans that might be vulnerable to a Democratic challenger will vote to convict but the ones that are safe either due to being in a deep red state or not up for reelection yet will vote not to convict.

[OrlandoDem2]

19. I don't think a single GOP Senator will vote to convict unless enormous pressure is applied to a few

[Ahpook]

34. Egg-zatcly

Such a fucking joke! This country is a mess, man.

[Zoonart]

10. Don't get too giddy.

He is also pushing censure as a bipartisan agreement to "spare the country the trauma of impeachment."

So...not guilty...but let's make a deal? He's a snake.

[Beartracks]

11. Did Lindsey Graham discover and destroy his pee tape?

I ask that proverbially, of course. His sudden switch makes me wonder if he's a little more free to speak, so to speak.

==============

[Beartracks]

12. Wait, what: "Whether or not people from the Ukraine met with DNC operatives, I don't know"?

WTF is this backhanded acknowledgment of reality? "1) Yes, Ukraine did not hack our election. BUT... 2) maybe they still did something shady with the DNC...."?

==========

[karynnj]

51. It means he attacking the TRUMP conflation of meddling with a Ukrainian leader writing an oped

A totally fact based op-ed consistent with Ukraine's interests. There is nothing sneaky, shady or nefarious writing an op-ed based on their alarm hearing Trump speak of how Crimea was Russian etc.

[Wellstone ruled]

13. Must have deleted his Grindr page.

[AZ8theist]

14. I wouldn't order the soup, Leningrad...

[lastlib]

20. But the polonium sammich.....

...from Apparat-Chik-Fil-A is real tasty! And it only costs a few rubles........

[FiveGoodMen]

52. Apparat-Chik-Fil-A

[BlueIdaho]

15. Apparently his re-election campaign

Field tested the whole “I’ma gonna start my own investigation of Vice President Biden all by myself” thing and it sank like a rock.

[Trueblue Texan]

16. I would say...

Lindsey Graham has just thrown up his hands and given up. That makes me think something big is about to break and he is taking whatever steps he can that can throw him in a more redeeming light. Something is about to blow, y'all.

[Pluvious]

29. I think yer on to something there, mon... (n/t)

[MBS]

40. Fingers crossed you're right. n/t

[madaboutharry]

17. This is very bizarre.

Something is going on and we don’t know what it is. Lindsey Graham has no moral compass. Don’t trust him!

[Talitha]

18. This guy flips like a tiddlywink.

I wouldn't put the party balloons out on the lawn just yet.

[dewsgirl]

22. I think there is something we aren't aware of yet..

He and Mitt Romney have both made these statements today. Romney was at the WH for lunch last week, with Susan Collins. I wouldn't think he would be speaking out like that. Plus Kennedy's walk back...it's out of character, that is certain. We are missing something.

[OAITW r.2.0]

27. I think the Party is headed for a major confrontation.

Lindsey is conceding that evidence points to Russia. Question is will he try to make a case that this act and Trump's actions amount to an impeachable offense?

Whatever is left of the Republican Party, it is going to cleave from the Party of Putin/Trump....sooner than later.

[George II]

23. I'll believe that when I see it, or should I say when I see it for more than 15 minutes.

[Nitram]

24. Is this a crack in the stone wall?

[BigmanPigman]

25. Only 1,000%?

Why not 1,000,000%? Come on Linseed, you math genius, you can do better than that.

[Demonaut]

26. so the russians hacked us but is he implying Ukraine could be blamed for something else?

they speak with both sides of their mouths

[AJT]

28. He's seen overwhelming evidence that we haven't seen yet

that would be the only reason he'd change his tune.

[safeinOhio]

31. Remember that report he was not going to read?

Now it is all true. Must have read it.

[justgamma]

32. Why don't they mention the RNC emails?

There must have been some juicy stuff in them for Russia to blackmail them with.

[SKKY]

33. Is this what we've been reduced to? Celebrating Lindsey...

...Graham’s random spasm of integrity and lucidity? We don’t need him. Lindsey Graham can go kick rocks.

[mr_lebowski]

36. I'm having some fun pondering how much trouble Leningrad Lindsey's gonna be in w/Papa Bear (nt)

[Chakaconcarne]

35. He has zero credibility no matter what he has to say.

[Fragment]

37. Could it have something to do with this story?

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/12/02/trump-administration-quietly-releases-lebanon-military-aid/

It’s starting to look like this is Trump’s modus operandi, and the Republicans’ only choice now would be to jump ship.

[quid amateur quo]

38. Who Cares?

He's Lindsey Graham: not a chance in Hell he votes to remove his New Daddy.

[duforsure]

39. After promoting putins propaganda for trump

He now has a change of heart, but is waiting to vote against impeaching trump. Which means its ok for any foreign country to determine who our president is by election fixing. That's what republicans in Congress are voting for soon, making it legally ok for a foreign country to determine our president in this country. Graham knows better, but he'd give trump a pass in a heartbeat knowing he's committed impeachable offenses, and let putin and other influence our elections for them. Doing that is the greatest risk to our national security to this country we've ever had. Are republicans willing to weaken our National Security, and damage our Democracy to let trump go free? Who are they really voting for, putin, or our country, we'll see soon.

[yellowcanine]

43. Looks as if Mitt Romney may have stiffened what little spine Lindsey has left.

Lindsey waited to see if Mitt got any immediate blowback from Trump for saying "it was Russia, not Ukraine" and when it didn't Lindsey decided he could risk it also. He is still a lying weasel though.

[Sancho]

44. Lenningrad Lindsey does NOT want MF45-1 coming to campaign in SC!

...that would cost him votes in a close race...so he's going to piss him off.

[The Wizard]

45. Were the voices telling him this

in his head or coming from the electrical outlets? It seems Lindsey has gone full schizo. Will someone please get the Senator's fainting couch. His knickers are in a wad and he's clutching his pearls.

[ck4829]

47. Kick

[Hekate]

53. Kicking, for whatever it's worth

[sakabatou]

54. Let's see him put his votes where his mouth is