Former CIA Director Brennan Schools The GOP On Why The Russia Scandal Matters

As Republicans once again focus on “leaks” from whistleblowers who are trying to protect the United States against the Republicans in the White House and Congress who are at the very least unwilling to take action to protect the country from hostile, aggressive moves by Russia against the U.S., Democrat Rep. Denny Heck asked Brennan why constituents should care about Russia’s election interference.

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The answer Brennan gave was a perhaps unintentional, but nonetheless powerful, schooling of Republicans on patriotism.

“Because for the last 241 years, this nation and its citizens have cherished the freedom and liberty that this country was founded on. Our ability to choose our elected leaders as we see fit is, I believe, an inalienable right we must protect with all of our resources and all our authority and power,” Brennan told the committee.

“Because for the last 241 years, this nation and its citizens have cherished the freedom and liberty that this country was founded on. Our ability to choose our elected leaders as we see fit is, I believe, an inalienable right we must protect with all of our resources and all our authority and power,” Brennan said.

“And the fact that the Russians tried to influence the election so that the will of the American people was not going to be realized by that election, I find outrageous, and it is something that we need to resist.”

The Russians tried to influence the election so that the will of the American people was not going to be realized in that election, and Republicans are turning a blind eye. They are refusing to staff and fund committees tasked with investigating this huge threat to western democracy.

This should not be a partisan issue, but Republicans have turned it into one for reasons only known to them. For some reason, they absolutely refuse to accept the word of all of our intelligence agencies and community that Russia aggressively interfered in our election.

This wilful blind eye to their oaths of office is a shame heretofore unseen in this country. It boggles the mind. It’s beyond low. It’s beneath what the Republican Party should stand for.

Free elections that reflect the will of the people are required for a democracy.

Yet Republicans spent this hearing trying to get sound bites they could use to defend Donald Trump instead of putting their country first. As the evidence trickles in, it looks more and more as if the Trump campaign at the very least danced with the Russians during the campaign, as the Russians attacked the U.S. The Republican Party is okay with this, and for this they should pay at the ballot box.

Republicans need to retire their U.S. flags and flag pins. They are losing the right to run on patriotism. And I’d posit that if they are this stupid, so easily conned that they can’t see how they are ruining their own careers for a ruthless man who will ride his bus over their backs in a heartbeat, they shouldn’t be in office anyway.

Brennan’s schooling on patriotism and why this attack by Russia matters was meant for constituents. He is not a partisan player. But it actually served to school elected Republicans. It should be played for them outside of their offices, at town halls, and in phone calls to their offices.

Sarah Jones

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