Last week, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) dared former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell to release General Michael Flynn’s phone call with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, saying on Twitter, “If you have nothing to hide, why don’t you release Flynn’s call with Russia? #ShowUsTheTape”.
“Those are coming. It’s very important for the public to see ALL of them. For too long the public has been misled. Just compare your committee’s transcripts to your public statements! #troubling,” Grenell replied.
Before being replaced by former Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), who was sworn in Tuesday, Richard Grenell declassified the transcripts of the phone calls between former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.
Now that the declassification review process for those transcripts is complete, his successor Ratcliffe will decide whether they are released. The trove of Russia probe documents includes transcripts of the December 2016 calls between Flynn and Kislyak, New York Post reported.
On Thursday, Grenell and Swalwell engaged in a heated back and forth, after Swalwell told Grenell that the “Flynn tapes never came”.
“Tick tock. ‘Those are coming.’ Well, you’re no longer director and the Flynn tapes never came. All you have to show for your work is the dirt on your boots from shoveling and burying evidence for @realDonaldTrump. #ShowUsTheTape”, Swalwell tweeted to Grenell. Continued Below
Grenell responded: “They are coming. There’s a thoughtful process to transparency. For years you went on TV spreading the Russian propaganda – knowing the entire time that not one single person under oath from your committee saw any collusion. Not one. It’s shameful!”
Swalwell then claimed: “The guy who spread ‘Russian propaganda’ is the one who asked Russia to hack his opponent. It’s also the guy who said he believed Putin over the brave intelligence officers you betrayed. That guy is @realDonaldTrump. You chose to enable him. I choose to check him.
Grenell fired back once again: “You spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars weaponizing the US government & telling Americans there was massive collusion. Your own committee interviewed more than 50 people under oath & they all said the same thing: they know of no collusion. But on TV you said the opposite.” Continued Below
Grenell added: “You said the opposite knowing what the 50 people said under oath – and yet for years you didn’t want their transcripts to be made public. Transparency is required! Americans deserve to see how this hoax developed and who silenced those who raised doubts early on.”
Swalwell deflected by saying: “Weaponize? History lesson: Democrats were in the minority for the Russia Investigation — it was a GOP-led investigation that allowed witnesses to not answer questions. And the Mueller investigation came from @realDonaldTrump’s appointees. So, show us the Flynn tapes or buzz off.”
But Grenell called him out for that: “I read the transcripts. There were lots of questions from Democrats. Lots. You just didn’t find any collusion when they were under oath – so the transcripts were the only thing you didn’t leak to the DC media.”
Swalwell continued to peddle the Russia collusion narrative saying: “Did you read: — Manafort gave polling data to Russians — @realDonaldTrump lied about Trump Tower Moscow deal during the 2016 primary season — Jr. meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower — @realDonaldTrump asking Russia to hack @HillaryClinton. Read it again.”
“Oh, I read. I read it all. And you lied about collusion. And Americans who see the facts that you tried to hide are furious,” Grenell informed Swalwell. Continued Below
“This is so comical. The Republicans led the Russia investigation, which ended in March 2018. They chose to not release the transcripts. What on earth are you talking about? I’m worried about you. Lay off the Trump Kool-Aid. You’ve had too much,” Swalwell then tweeted.
Grenell fired back: “I’m talking about how you lied to the American people over and over again. You said publicly you saw lots of Russian collusion. But the many Republicans and Democrats you questioned under oath all said they saw NO COLLUSION. You knew what they said in private. You lied.”
Official tweets between Rep. Eric Swalwell and Richard Grenell:
Tick tock. “Those are coming.” Well, you’re no longer director and the Flynn tapes never came. All you have to show for your work is the dirt on your boots from shoveling and burying evidence for @realDonaldTrump. #ShowUsTheTape https://t.co/ldYLn9LcQl
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) May 28, 2020
They are coming. There’s a thoughtful process to transparency. For years you went on TV spreading the Russian propaganda – knowing the entire time that not one single person under oath from your committee saw any collusion. Not one. It’s shameful! https://t.co/APPwAT05DQ
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
Continued Below
You spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars weaponizing the US government & telling Americans there was massive collusion. Your own committee interviewed more than 50 people under oath & they all said the same thing: they know of no collusion. But on TV you said the opposite. https://t.co/UpDdaSeRXi
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
You said the opposite knowing what the 50 people said under oath – and yet for years you didn’t want their transcripts to be made public.
Transparency is required! Americans deserve to see how this hoax developed and who silenced those who raised doubts early on. https://t.co/zNGqnCLDtu
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
I read the transcripts. There were lots of questions from Democrats. Lots. You just didn’t find any collusion when they were under oath – so the transcripts were the only thing you didn’t leak to the DC media. https://t.co/tx4seOXbHq
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
Oh, I read. I read it all. And you lied about collusion. And Americans who see the facts that you tried to hide are furious. https://t.co/WrARy1fWjG
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
I’m talking about how you lied to the American people over and over again. You said publicly you saw lots of Russian collusion. But the many Republicans and Democrats you questioned under oath all said they saw NO COLLUSION. You knew what they said in private. You lied. https://t.co/HSKuIaGAHE
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
It’s time we brief the American people. We are done with the Washington manipulations. Transparency is needed. https://t.co/q9oy3Nru6U
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
I’m being deceptive?! I’m for transparency. You DC types hide the details from the American people and then go on TV and say something they can’t check. It’s the DC way. And it usually works – until Americans see the details (i.e. the hidden transcripts). https://t.co/roUy5Xicxt
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 28, 2020
