House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) exposed how Chair James Comer is helping Russia attack America with disinformation.
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What Did Jamie Raskin Write To James Comer About His Use Of Russian Propaganda?
Raskin wrote to Comer about his latest allegations that the CIA blocked a DOJ investigation of Hunter Biden:
Even more troubling to me is this suspicious and telling fact: while the American public and media have learned to treat your succession of bombshell duds in this investigation with appropriate skepticism and caution, your letter and its unverified claims were quickly picked up and gleefully amplified by Sputnik, a Russian state-funded and state-directed media outlet, which, according to the Department of State, “play[s] an important role within Russia’s disinformation and propaganda ecosystem†by “using the guise of conventional international media outlets to provide disinformation and propaganda support for the Kremlin’s foreign policy objectives. A perfectly punctual and unquestioning Sputnik article—entitled “CIA Protecting Biden by Blocking IRS Interviews, Says Former Whistleblowerâ€â€”includes direct quotes from and citations to your letter.
Always eager to add fodder to your allegations, Sputnik, in its article, also obtained statements supportive of your latest claims from two discredited Trump World figures: Bradley Birkenfeld, a Rudy Giuliani associate deeply involved in peddling allegations about Hunter Biden during the 2020 election; and Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and
former Fox News contributor who briefly treated Hunter Biden before his professional license was revoked following allegations that he sexually exploited his own patients. One can only regard with amazement how quickly Sputnik identified these Trump World commentators to
support this new story!
So, once again, the Committee’s slapstick and rudderless impeachment voyage—fodder for late night talk show hosts and a factor often cited by observers seeking to explain why so many of your GOP colleagues are resigning their seats in the middle of this historic “do-nothing†Congress—runs aground on the familiar sandbar of Russian propaganda and the well orchestrated mutterings of discredited and disgraced hangers-on in Trump World.Â
…
Despite this torrent of official warnings and findings about efforts by Russian intelligence services to smear President Biden, you have eagerly and (charitably speaking) naively used our Committee to promote ridiculous allegations rooted in foreign disinformation and propaganda. Notably, time and again, you have also denied the Committee’s Democratic Members any opportunity to vet or even review the information you have received, and you have failed to
provide any accounting of its sourcing.
…
Meanwhile, the Committee’s otherwise shipwrecked and laughingstock impeachment inquiry has settled into its final starring role on earth: as a highly valued and regularly touted feature event in Russian propaganda and disinformation theater. As the American press from CNN to Fox News now just ignores or lampoons the pratfalls and antics of this conspiracy theory-riddled voyage to nowhere, Sputnik and RT—another state-owned and state-directed Russian media outlet that serves as a propaganda and disinformation arm of the Kremlin—have run numerous stories about Hunter Biden and this Committee’s impeachment inquiry, many of which, I am sad to report, directly and generously quote or cite from your own statements and speculations as Chairman. We are continuing to waste millions of dollars of American taxpayer money to provide unfounded rumors and gossip tidbits for Russian propaganda outlets promoting lies about our country.
Can James Comer Be Criminally Charged For His Use Of Russian Propaganda?
The short answer is no. Chairman Comer can not be charged for using his position on the House Oversight Committee to base an impeachment investigation of President Biden on Russian disinformation. Comer is protected by the fact that his actions and statements are being made in his capacity as a member of Congress. Unless there is evidence that Comer is acting as a foreign agent of Russia or committing a crime, there is nothing that can be done about this abuse of power.
Chairman Comer thinks that he is using Russian disinformation to attack President Biden when he is acting as a useful idiot for Putin’s attack on the United States in the Russian leader’s campaign to weaken democracy around the world.
There is no law against any American pushing Russian propaganda. James Comer now knows that his investigation is based on Russian disinformation, and appears to not care that he is harming his home country because he is only interested in getting Donald Trump back to the White House.
The entire Republican Party has adopted Trump’s 2016 playbook for using Russian disinformation to acquire or attempt to keep power.
As Rep. Raskin noted, Comer and his investigation are now tools for Russian propaganda.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
