Republicans blocked President Obama from telling the public about Russian actions to help Trump

[deminks]

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/6/23/1674509/-Republicans-blocked-President-Obama-from-telling-the-public-about-Russian-actions-to-help-Trump

(snip)

Obama instructed aides to ... seek bipartisan support from congressional leaders for a statement condemning Moscow and urging states to accept federal help.

None of that happened. Some Republican leaders in Congress put off even meeting with intelligence officials, delaying the process by weeks. Meanwhile, Jeh Johnson attempted to designate election infrastructure as “critical,” in order to give them the same protection provided to defense contractors.

(snip)

“The Dems were, ‘Hey, we have to tell the public,’ ” recalled one participant. But Republicans resisted, arguing that to warn the public that the election was under attack would further Russia’s aim of sapping confidence in the system.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) went further, officials said, voicing skepticism that the underlying intelligence truly supported the White House’s claims. Through a spokeswoman, McConnell declined to comment, citing the secrecy of that meeting.

The answer to why Barack Obama didn’t speak out more strongly and more early about Russian interference for Trump, is because Republicans blazed the trail Trump is still following: They refused to cooperate, placing party above country.

(end snip)

I'm looking at you, McTurtle. And I hope Mueller is too.

[bdamomma]

1. it just never stops huh?

McConnell is a vile man, he is up to his neck in whatever illegal things he had done.

Now if don the con fires Mueller.......that is something I don't want to speculate.

[GeorgeGist]

2. Gosh you would think by then that he ...

would have known that Republicans oppose anything Obama.

[malaise]

3. They were all involved

They stole the elections - history is on my side

[DefenseLawyer]

4. He should have told them to fuck themselves.

There is no legal requirement for the President of the United States to "seek bipartisan support" before telling the truth. If there was one flaw in President Obama's administration it was his obsession with unattainable bipartisanship.

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. Life altering flaw for the vast majority of us.

[Trial_By_Fire]

5. Doesn't the president have the ability to declassify any intelligence?

Could Obama just have held a press conference?

[elmac]

10. Yes, he could have

and I'm sure he had other ways of getting the word out but he wanted to take the high road and the high road led to 4 years of complete fascist control. There is no dealing with these fascists, they are terrorists and their followers are terrorists and I treat them as such.

[SHRED]

6. Blocked?

Nonsense.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Yes, blocked. Made it politically damaging to Clinton if Obama went public with it.

Made it so that, if he went public, Republicons would claim that Obama was trying to sway to the election so there would be blowback against Democrats.

[SHRED]

14. That worked well didn't it?

[58Sunliner]

17. +1000. Can't trust the public with the truth.

[LanternWaste]

20. Supporting your original premise by moving the goalposts, eh?

Supporting your original premise by moving the goalposts, eh?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Yes, blocked. McCONnell delayed sending the hacking warnings to state electoral boards till too late

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. McCONnell blocked Obama & Republican Trump lies "Obama didn't do anything about it".

Trump says that Obama didn't do anything about the Russians and but the Russians didn't do anything so there wasn't anything to do about them but still it's Obama's fault but even so there is no there there.

Republicon Trump logic. His base falls for it every time.

[kimbutgar]

11. It appears we need to also take McConnell down in the hacking thing with russia

I think he is colluding with Russia as a double agent.

[orleans]

12. republicans DON'T CARE

as long as their party wins

(my kingdom for a horse)

[FiveGoodMen]

13. I no longer even believe that that's their goal

Based on the smiles as they destroy America's safety net, I'd say R's are never happy unless they're hurting someone.

[lark]

15. Obama knew better than to truth Repugs with anything whatsoever.

Of course Repugs are traitors, they have been for years, but they have just become much more obvious about it in the last year. Obama blew it and now the whole world suffers. Horrible decision by someone who's smart enough that he should have known better.

[58Sunliner]

16. They didn't let him?? Really? He should have done it anyway.

He should not have needed their permission, oh, wait, he didn't. Stop making excuses for the failure of Obama to speak out. It looks ridiculous.

[m-lekktor]

18. ROFL!! uh huh. nt

[KPN]

19. This stuff is really discouraging. Think I'll go mow the lawn.

But one other thought first -- when are we going to learn that the GOP is made up of nothing but master Machiavelli's? When they go low, we go high and average Americans end up screwed as a result. They knew we'd go high, but also knew that if we went low, they'd screw us anyway. Obama, Hillary, we were Machiavelli'd again. When the hell are we going to develop that same skill set as a Party. The Rs play chess while we play checkers. They bring guns, we bring logic, reason and maybe -- only maybe -- a knife. Geesh!

[dalton99a]

21. Party over country, any day of the week

Fucking traitors

[hadEnuf]

23. A bi-partisan approach was the only way to go about it.

Absolutely anything Obama announced on his own would have been savaged by the Right as trying to sway the election. They were trying to say he was doing that before the Russian thing even became known.


And of course the Republicans weren't going to agree to go bi-partisan. They have flushed whatever principals they may have had down the toilet long ago and as it's turning out they are most likely involved in the whole ordeal up to their ears anyway.

[FiveGoodMen]

24. Bipartisan

Is like asking an enemy that is shooting at you for permission to fire back.

Fuck these attempts to deal with the devil.