Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) spoke with host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday where they discussed Democrats’ impeachment efforts and Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election, which has been reported by several news outlets.
During the interview, however, Chuck Todd suggested that people who say “Ukraine meddled” is an “effort of Russia propaganda”– adding, “That is a Russia intelligence propaganda campaign in order to get people like you to say these things about Ukraine– to frame Ukraine.”
Chuck Todd also assumed that Senator John Kennedy was briefed by intelligence officials after Fiona Hill’s testimony and asked, “You apparently were briefed about this in the United States Senate by intelligence officials. Are you at all concerned you’re doing Russian intelligence work?”
Senator Kennedy responded: “I was not briefed. Dr. Hill is entitled to her opinion,” adding that he believes the reporting from Politico. … “I didn’t report those facts. Reputable journalists reported those facts. Does that mean that the Ukrainian leaders were more aggressive than Russia? No. Russia was very aggressive. … But the fact that Russia was so aggressive, does not exclude that fact that President Poroshenko actively worked for Secretary Clinton”. [Emphasis added.]
Todd was visibly frustrated at Senator Kennedy’s response and tried to deflect. “You realize the only other person selling this argument outside the United States is Vladimir Putin. … You’ve done exactly what the Russian operation is trying to get America politicians to do. Are you at all concerned that you’ve been duped?” he asked.
“No. Because, just read the articles,” Senator Kennedy urged. (Continued Below)
Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clinton’s allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation found, Politico reported.
A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation, per Politico.
Former Secretary of State and twice-failed presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, took to Twitter on Monday to chime in on her apparent favorite subject: Russia, after Senator Kennedy’s interview with Chuck Todd. (Video Below)
Hillary Clinton tweeted on Monday: “Sen. Kennedy, why are you parroting Russian propaganda that U.S. intelligence officials tell us are designed to divide our country? Did you miss the briefing that day?”
Senator Kennedy responded: “Bless your heart, Madame Secretary. I hope you are well.”
According to Wikipedia: “Bless your heart” is a phrase that is common in the Southern United States. The phrase has multiple meanings. It can be used as a sincere expression of sympathy or genuine concern. It can be used as a precursor to an insult to soften the blow. It is also sometimes used to mean “you are dumb or otherwise impaired, but you can’t help it” by individuals who wish to “be sweet” and do not wish to “act ugly”.
Bless your heart, Madame Secretary. I hope you are well.
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) December 2, 2019
What “Bless Your Heart” Really Means:
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Senator John Kennedy’s full interview with Chuck Todd:
