I was going to say you're falling for it again but you never stopped
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/m...-investigation
On July 20, 2020, reports began surfacing falsely accusing Senator Grassley and me of accepting Russian disinformation in the course of our investigations. The implication was that we were being duped into disseminating derogatory information on former Vice President Biden because Russia does not want to see him become president. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Schiff, Minority Leader Schumer and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chair Mark Warner wrote a letter, parroting a letter our ranking members, Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Gary Peters, had written to us asking for a classified briefing on these developments.
The only problem with their overblown handwringing is that they all knew full well that we have been briefed repeatedly, and we had already told them that we had NOT received the alleged “Russian disinformation.” The very transparent goal of their own disinformation campaign and feigned concern is to attack our character in order to marginalize the eventual findings of our investigation. They are running the same play, out the same playbook they have been using for the last three and a half years.
What I have provided above is an accurate history, summary and rationale of our investigatory efforts. Everything detailed above is already in the public realm. None of it is Russian disinformation. But it is a stunning description of wrongdoing and corruption that the public has every right to know.
As our investigation continues, more will be uncovered and revealed. As always, almost all of the do ents we are seeking and will make public are from U.S. sources. Everything will be carefully verified for accuracy and veracity.
Chairman Grassley and I will not be deterred by the false accusations de ably being made by individuals with strong political biases and motivations. Our investigation has been, and will continue to be, undertaken with the greatest integrity and transparency. We intend to determine and reveal the truth.
An addendum:
On the morning of Saturday, Aug. 8, I noticed an opinion piece in the Washington Post submitted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal. It was headlined: “The threat to U.S. elections is real, and frightening. The public has a right to know.” In addition to my curiosity being peaked by the hyperbolic headline, I was curious to read what “stunning revelations” Senator Blumenthal might provide.
What I found corroborated what I have described above about a coordinated effort to attack me to pre-emptively marginalize the findings of our investigations. This paragraph in particular needs to be responded to:
“On Wednesday, The Post reported that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is moving ahead with an investigation into presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s family using do ents provided to the senator by the son of a former KGB officer. Johnson’s actions are of such concern to the CIA, according to news reports, that the agency has refused to brief him. Think of it: Congress may become a forum for debunked conspiracy theories peddled by Kremlin proxies.”
Let me first refute the specific false charges.
Senator Blumenthal claimed my committee is “using do ents provided to the senator by the son of a former KGB officer.” This is false. Not only have we have repeatedly and publicly denied it, no one has presented evidence to the contrary — nor can they, because there is none.
On July 1, the Washington Post reported false allegations that a Ukrainian named Oleksandr Onyshchenko provided our committee with information. Our Democratic colleagues asked that day if it was true, and we quickly and unequivocally denied it. On July 23, Politico reported that Andrii Derkach provided our committee with information. We immediately and unequivocally denied that. My press team has shared these denials with many reporters. And yet, for nearly a month, these baseless allegations have been repeated. Saturday morning, they were repeated by Senator Blumenthal. Why do the press and Democrats continue to ignore these unequivocal denials? Have they no interest in the truth?
Let me be clear: The investigation by my committee of allegations of conflicts of interest within the Obama administration related to Ukraine policy and of allegations of corruption within the Obama administration affecting the 2016 election is focused on do ents and officials from U.S. government agencies and a U.S. Democrat-linked lobbying firm. We have not taken, nor do we possess, the do ents from Ukrainians that Democrats keep claiming.
Blumenthal then writes, “Johnson’s actions are of such concern to the CIA, according to news reports, that the agency has refused to brief him.” Not only is this claim false, it is a perfect demonstration of the disinformation technique they are using.
We have been briefed repeatedly on these issues, but because the briefings did not support their preferred narrative, Democrats haven’t liked what they’ve heard. Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters asked me to arrange yet another intelligence briefing, which I requested from the FBI and CIA. The CIA and FBI responded that they had provided all relevant information. Democrats then moved the goalposts, asking the CIA for yet another briefing on other less relevant questions. The CIA has not responded, and Democrats have not pursued the matter since May.
In addition, note Senator Blumenthal’s use of the term, “according to news reports.” This reveals exactly what is happening here. An “intelligence product” full of false innuendo was produced, classified, and then leaked to the press more than a week before Senator Grassley or I were given access to it. Many in the media dutifully reported this hot tip. Democrats then used the media reports to repeat, distort, and embellish the false charges. Sound familiar?
Now I know exactly how President Trump must have felt when he first heard the false reports contained in the “Steele dossier” and allegations that his campaign colluded with Russia. He knew these narratives were completely false — and now so do we, thanks to the Mueller report — yet they were repeated, distorted, and embellished to create the public demand for that special counsel investigation.
It is neither me, Chairman Grassley, nor our committees that are being used to disseminate Russian disinformation. Instead, it is Democrats and the media that have been doing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s work for him. Puppet masters in the Kremlin could not be more pleased at the political division and discord that has been driven by the resistance movement against President Trump. Remember the tweet only 10 days after President Trump’s inauguration from one of the impeachment whistleblower’s attorneys, Mark Zaid: “#coup has started. First of many steps. #rebellion. #impeachment will follow ultimately. #lawyers”
The left is relentless. They play for keeps, and they don’t let rules or the truth get in their way.
Now many of the same players that engineered a special counsel and impeachment against President Trump are brazenly teaming up again with a different target in mind: me. They are using the same tired old canard of Russian interference. You’d think they could come up with something better than that, but here they are, confident they can pull it off again. And with a compliant media, why wouldn’t they be confident?
Let me be very clear on another point. I have no doubt Russia is continuing its efforts to sow discord and destabilize countries and political systems throughout the world, including here in the U.S. In Congress, I was one of the first to recognize Russia’s menacing activities by holding three hearings related to Russian disinformation and destabilization campaigns as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Europe subcommittee back in 2015. This is how the former Soviet Union behaved, and it should surprise no one that the Russian Federation under the leadership of Putin would engage in the exact same type of behavior. What is surprising is that anyone would view this as some breakthrough revelation. I certainly do not condone it, nor do I lack an understanding of the type of threat this poses to our democracy. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, I am well aware of the significant efforts the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have undertaken to safeguard our elections. Congress has also appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars and provided grants to the states to counter these threats.
But I also try to put the threat of Russian election interference in proper perspective, to realize we face far greater threats as a nation, and to completely reject Democrats’ successful and repeated efforts at weaponizing persistent Russian meddling to gain political advantage and destroy individual reputations.
The only way I can counter these personal political attacks is to tell the truth and continue to conduct my committee’s investigations with the utmost integrity and transparency. Let me repeat. We will not be deterred by these coordinated and de ably false attacks. We intend to uncover the truth and make it public.