Ex-CIA Director John Brennan Testifies That Russia ‘Brazenly Interfered’ With The U.S. Election

Just who in the Trump campaign, and possibly the current administration, had contact with Russia and what that contact was has been the subject of theories, testimony, and reports over the last few months. Today, the House heard testimony from former head of the CIA, John Brennan, and Brennan has added more fuel to a growing fire in Washington.

Brennan’s testimony centered almost entirely around the investigation, and Brennan backed up the FBI’s investigation into the connections, which Trump has tried repeatedly to dismiss both publicly and using his powers as President:

“I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals. It raised questions in my mind about whether Russia was able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.”

Brennan also referred to Russia’s attempts to meddle with the election as “brazen” and informed the committee that he had briefed the so-called Gang of Eight, which includes Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, on the situation in late August and early September. Curiously, the tape of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy potentially joking that he believes Trump and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher were taking bribes from Russia dates from June 15th, a month before Trump locked up the nomination. Brennan also mentions that Russia was attempting to suborn individuals “knowingly or unknowingly,” something Rohrabacher was warned about in 2012.

Brennan also called the FBI’s investigation “well founded.” The Trump administration is dearly wishing this scandal would go away, but it looks like it’s just getting started.

(via New York Times and Politico)

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