Shep Smith Defies His Own Network And Annihilates The GOP Uranium One Conspiracy On Fox News

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:46 pm

On a day when it really mattered – that is, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions was being questioned about his faulty memory regarding the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia, conservatives pushed their little train of Hillary Clinton and Uranium One conspiracy theories as hard as they could, but Fox News’ Shep Smith blew up their dreams with a dose of reality.

Republicans did their best to make the hearing about Uranium One instead of Trump Russia. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) tried to sell the already debunked Uranium One conspiracy. Rep. Louie Gohmert’s (R-TX) office pushed the chart he displayed at today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, which resembles Glenn Beck’s chalkboard of many conspiracies (via Chris Geidner’s tweet):

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But then Fox News anchor Shep Smith broke the hearts of conservatives who were desperately pushing the faulty notion that Hillary Clinton colluded against her own campaign with Russia by explaining the basic problem with the conspiracy.

“The accusation is predicated on the charge that Secretary Clinton approved the sale. She did not,†Smith explained to probably no one who understood his words.

Watch here via Media Matters:

Smith explained via Media Matters, “”First, the Clinton State Department had no power to veto or approve that transaction. It could do neither…. Further, neither Secretary Clinton nor the committee as a whole could stop any deal of this kind.

“… the accusation is predicated on the charge that Secretary Clinton approved the sale. She did not. A committee of nine evaluated the sale, the president approved the sale, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and others had to offer permits, and none of the uranium was exported for use by the U.S. to Russia. That is Uranium One.”

“Uranium One!” is the conservative battle cry to distract from Donald Trump’s Russia problem. When this fails, they pivot to “whataboutisms” targeting their favorite Bad Guys: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and when desperate, Bill Clinton.

The basic premise behind the Uranium One conspiracy is a logic fail that should catch anyone capable of even the most rudimentary critical thinking, because why would Hillary Clinton collude with the Russians against herself?

Conservatives were exceptional at trolling a Democratic president with conspiracy theories to derail and undermine an agenda. But now that there is a Republican president, they can’t quite seem to figure out that he is the one who will be held accountable.

No one really cares what Hillary Clinton did, because she is not in office. The issue is not equal, even if the premise made any sense and the facts supported it. But of course, the facts do not support it.

It’s even more ridiculous because it is Putin’s fear of Hillary Clinton that predicated some of his desire to undermine what he thought was going to be her presidency. Putin would not work for or with Hillary Clinton, because he could not manipulate her.

Putin can and is manipulating Donald Trump. Everyone but his base understands this. So with those high stakes on the side of reality, the Uranium One conspiracy is doomed to fail.

Putin chose Donald Trump as the best way to achieve his goal of undermining western democracy. This is what we should be discussing, not desperately crazy conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton.


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