Biden: McConnell stopped Obama from calling out Russians

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE 01/23/2018 02:47 PM EST Updated 01/23/2018 03:33 PM EST

Joe Biden said Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped the Obama administration from speaking out about Russian interference in the 2016 campaign by refusing to sign on to a bipartisan statement of condemnation.

That moment, the former Democratic vice president said, made him think “the die had been cast ... this was all about the political play.” He expressed regret, in hindsight, given the intelligence he says came in after Election Day. "Had we known what we knew three weeks later, we may have done something more,” Biden, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, said.

Biden was speaking at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, a block from his old office at the Old Executive Office Building, to discuss his new article in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, “How to Stand Up to the Kremlin.”

Biden said he and former President Barack Obama worried that without a united front of bipartisanship, speaking out before the election would undermine the legitimacy of the election and American institutions in a way that would play into the Russians’ larger ambitions.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/23/mitch-mcconnell-russia-obama-joe-biden-359531

[sandensea]

1. That was the trouble with President Obama

He was just too decent, and much too considerate of the "loyal" opposition for his own good sometimes.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Not necessarily. The reality is their using the completely conservative-owned media

to ramp up to a full court press claiming it was all a political ploy - right before the election. And the dumbasses in this country would believe it. Look what happened with something as simple as Obama and the Henry Louis Gates fiasco.

And look at what they are doing right now regarding the Russia investigations - completely swamping the media with falsehoods, much of which are coming out of the very committees that are supposed to be doing the investigations.

[underthematrix]

8. I think PBO was worried about the real possibility of civil war.

[KPN]

22. "Was" worried? I'm worried now.

It was already too late to avoid that threat. Let's hope it remains just a threat/possibility.

[underthematrix]

28. I'm still worried about it now. It's a very real possibility.

[Irish_Dem]

9. I think Obama thought Hillary was going to win the election,

and he didn't want to blow that, and didn't want to be seen interfering with the election.
So he wanted a bi-partisan effort.

When McConnell threatened him, he knew to disclose would end up very ugly
and didn't want to cause problems for Hillary's campaign.

I often wonder what he thought about McConnell after leaving that meeting in which McConnell did not care at all about Russian meddling in the election and even threatened Obama if he made it public.

Obama was probably disappointed, but not shocked. And later on, when Trump
"won" the election, I assume Biden and Obama connected the Russian and GOP dots.

[iluvtennis]

34. +++ Agree

[Sophia4]

51. Right. I love him, but he was just too decent to deal with Republicans.

True of a lot of Democrats including some in office right now.

[DeminPennswoods]

2. Good on Biden for pointing this out

Political junkies like DU'ers knew this, but now more people will know of McConnell's (and Ryan's) treasonous act.

[maxsolomon]

3. Obama should have told him to get bent

and explicitly out him in his statement.

It was a war, but only 1 side was fighting.

[Skittles]

11. correct

he lacked the courage to hold them accountable - he did the same when he started

[maxsolomon]

14. i don't think it was lack of courage as much as naivete

he couldn't fathom how craven they would be.

[Skittles]

38. he couldn't fathom that after seeing what they did to Hillary?

how they allowed the biggest terrorist attack in US history, drowned a city, crashed the economy, started a war based on lies? How the FUCK "naïve" could he have been?

[maxsolomon]

39. I asked myself that every time he asked for Bipartisanship

but he kept doing it.

[Skittles]

40. he wasted two years trying to play footsie with those lying, thieving bastards

[maxsolomon]

50. you mean max baucus?

half-kidding

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. I seem to recall that this was known publicly at the time. The press wasn't interested

in it.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Accurate Intel should not have to fear partisan control

and from the moment Trump said "Russia, if you're listening ...." the Obama administration should have kicked into high national security alert. They should have suspected something was going on behind the scenes.

[UpInArms]

7. McTurle was in on it ... this is why he was so certain to block

Obama’s Supreme Court pick

[BigmanPigman]

10. BINGO!

You nailed it. I hate him as much as the fucking moron (maybe even more). It is pretty damn close.

[maddiemom]

23. Same here.

MConnell is the biggest problem in our government. Treacherous and dishonest, he's gotten away with some outrageous ploys that border treason. I can't believe his nerve, and what all he's gotten away with. He's shameless and I would love to see him take a great fall, but am afraid he's too cunning

[SakonyaChen]

31. Hes managed to say very little

So he’s definitely the smartest of the Trump Party.

[Skittles]

12. ABSOLUTELY CORRECT

[stuffmatters]

15. Mrs Turtle promised Sec'y of Transportation w unlimited access to Infrastucture Graft

Glaring example of McConnell's own selfenriching Quid pro Quo which MSM continues to ignore.

Not to mention how much Putinish money has been filtered through RNC RGC RCC and McConell's own RSC and probably his own campaigns past present and future..

But boy is there a lot of billions in who's awarded those infrastructure contracts. And that'll be up to McConnell's wife.

[shanny]

19. Not buying it.

McTurtle scuttled Obama's Supreme pick long before tRump was anything more than a joke who would soon pass from the stage.

Shit, up until the election day he was a joke...on us as it turns out, but still a joke.

[UpInArms]

24. Have you read this?

How Putin's proxies helped funnel millions into GOP campaigns

McConnell surely knew as a participant in high level intelligence briefings in 2016 that our electoral process was under attack by the Russians. Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings. The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's interference in the election.

[shanny]

42. "....issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed

the effort to interfere...."

Funneling money to influence an election--from Russia or the Kochs or anybody--is not the same as changing the outcome, with a surety. NOBODY thought tRump would win, including him. And they thought that right up until the end. They certainly thought that in March 2016. That prick McConnell would and will take money from anywhere; doesn't make him prescient.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a classic fallacy of reasoning ("after this, therefore because of this&quot .

Not buying it.

[UpInArms]

43. We will agree to disagree

🙋🏻?♀️

[mitch96]

13. I don't think it had anything to do with the russians

And everything to do with mcconnell hating Obama.... His M.O. was to always try to stop anything Obama wanted.. Damn the country... Politics full speed ahead!!!
m

[TwistOneUp]

21. Re: Politics full speed ahead!!!

You spelled racism wrong.

IMO, the Giant Turtle Head wasn't as upset about Obama's politics as he was about Obama's skin tone...

[still_one]

16. While that may make a good talking point President Obama didnt need McConnels permission

[GusBob]

33. One cannot help but wonder

If Hillary was elected in 2008 if any of this ever would have happened

[still_one]

35. I don't blame Obama, and hypothetically questioning if Hillary was elected in 2008 would

have Russia been able to infiltrate? Doubtful. It would not have stopped Snowden, Assange, Greenwald, Stein, or some within the republican party willing to sell their souls to win in 2016

[jalan48]

17. WTF?-they were in the middle of stealing Obama's Supreme Court pick and he wanted bi-partisanship?

[LittleGirl]

30. good point. n/t

[dalton99a]

45. +1

[shanny]

18. "...we might have done something more..."

That's the story of that whole administration.

If they had known the pukes were that insane, they might have done something more. I'm sorry if this is interpreted as attacking political leaders, but how could Biden and Obama not have known that "bipartisanship" means jack shit to Republicans? Those fuckers (the pukes) are complicit, they have been acting in conjunction with foreign powers for their own political gain FOR DECADES (Vietnam, Iran hostages for two), they twist the rules and make them up to benefit themselves (see Merrick Garland)....and somehow we are always surprised.

Who could have predicted?

[Timmygoat]

20. McConnell is a creep

Remember when Obama got elected, and McConnell and the rethug creeps had a meeting where they agreed never to do any
thing to help Obama and to make sure he would fail? I would love to know the reason he did not make it when he went in the service, after a brief term he suddenly was out and I heard that his records were sealed. Anybody know why?

[laserhaas]

53. Definitely gives me the creeps

For sure

[dhol82]

25. Is there any way to get this fucker out of office?

Damn. His ‘use by’ date has been expired for quite some time.

[KPN]

26. McConnell was in on the "interference" from the get go.

I hope Mueller comes up with something that will put a noose around that guy's neck frankly. They (GOP leaders) were all involved in a treasonous act -- it was nothing less than a fucking coup. Their rabid lust for power and control to force their agenda led them to collude with a foreign enemy -- an enemy that wants nothing more than the disintegration of American democracy.

In the end, being concerned about having a publicly bipartisan front against the threat of Russian interference was all for nought. It was a monumental miscalculation.

[xxqqqzme]

27. Recently, PBS's

Frontline aired a 2 part program detailing putin's distrust/paranoia over the US and what he considers our efforts to weaken him. It was an excellent presentation by Frontline.

The statement was a big part of the election interference portion of the program, as well as Obama's attempts to expose Russia's involvement. The program was upfront about naming mcconnell as refusing the sign onto the statement. No lips mitch needs to be retired.

[BobTheSubgenius]

29. "....in a way that would play into the Russians larger ambitions."

As opposed to what actually happened? Obviously, hindsight ain't foresight by a damn sight, but I don't think it could have turned out any worse.

[Upthevibe]

37. This is disgraceful....I don't think President Obama could have done ANYTHING.

Seriously, think about the rabid repugs and the vicious dt supporters. They, along with the complicit media, would have turned it around and said that President Obama was the one who was interfering! And then, had Hillary won (as I believe she actually did), they would have done everything they could to delegitimize HER Presidency. I'm as sure of that as I am that Wednesday follows Tuesday. Mitch McConnell is an F'ing traitor!!!! He needs to be imprisoned! I detest him probably more than I do anyone....

[lunamagica]

44. But they couldn't have done anything to delegitimize her presidency. They' have nothing.

Besides, with all the fraud, treason and everything else thrown at trump, He is still the President.

How I wish it could be the opposite, and we'd Gopers yelling, throwing accusations left and right against her administration, but with her in power. That would be so much, SO MUCH better tan the nightmare we're living now.

[LanternWaste]

48. That seems rather short-sighted and myopic.

"but I don't think it could have turned out any worse..."

That seems rather short-sighted and myopic.

[GusBob]

32. This makes me so fucking angry I could spit blood

But I can't say what I really think as I will risk a hide.

The oath of the presidency is to protect our nation against enemies foreign and domestic

Goddamn it all to fucking hell!

[leanforward]

36. McConnell was paid off.

Through his PAC. The thing about McConnell is he's a closet Alt Righter/NeoNut/KKK/white supremacist. He's worried about having to explain the benefits of having 2 million in the slosh fund.

Time for an audit of all political action funds. Something call sources and applications for funds.

[GeorgeGist]

41. Sounds kinda weak in hindsight.

[JI7]

46. i think they thought the media would treat it as Obama unfairly trying to help HIllary

and that is probably correct.

and it would have hurt her more than help.

just look at how they reacted to the Clinton and Loretta Lynch on a Tarmac thing .

[CrispyQ]

47. The dems got played again.

I feel the American people had a right to know this info before the election. And who gives a fuck if McConnell accuses you of politicizing something? Once again, the dems were weak. This has been a dem leadership weakness for a long, long time - worried about how they look instead of doing what's right. Now that the GOP is taking a hatchet to Obamacare, along with every other facet of our government. I wonder if they have any regrets?

[mahina]

49. McConnell needs to answer for this to the whole country. This should dominate the headlines.

Around the world.

Thank you for sharing the article.

[AncientGeezer]

52. BS...no way turtle stops POTUS from doing what's right..and he didn't.

President Obama warned us, issued a warning to Putin...
"What I was concerned about in particular was making sure [hack] wasn't compounded by potential hacking that could hamper vote counting, affect the actual election process itself,” “So in early September when I saw president Putin in China, I felt that the most effective way to ensure that that didn't happen was to talk to him directly and tell him to cut it out and there were going to be serious consequences if he didn't. And in fact we did not see further tampering of the election process.”