NBC host Chuck Todd stated that Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana was making statements about Ukrainian interference into U.S. elections that matched only what Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
“I think both Russia and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election,” Kennedy said during a Sunday morning appearance on Meet the Press. “I think it’s been well documented in the Financial Times and Politico and the Economist and the Washington Examiner, even on CBS that the prime minister of Ukraine, the interior minister, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, the head of the Ukrainian anti-corruption league all meddled in the election on social media and otherwise. They worked with a DNC operative against the president.”
Todd bristled at Kennedy’s version Ukraine and Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election and pointed to the testimony of Fiona Hill, asking whether the senator had been briefed on her account of events during the election.
“Are you at all concerned you are doing Russian intelligence work here?” Todd asked Kennedy. The senator said only that Fiona Hill “is entitled to her opinion.”
Kennedy later suggested that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “actively” worked for Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state. “My goodness, wait a minute, Senator Kennedy,” Todd snapped back. “You now have the president of Ukraine saying he actively worked for the Democratic nominee for president. Come on! You realize, the only other person selling this argument outside the United States is this man, Vladimir Putin … You’ve done exactly what the Russian operation is trying to get American politicians to do. Are you at all concerned that you have been duped?”
Kennedy went on to defend President Trump and point out that he has not been allowed to defend himself or provide witnesses throughout the Democrat-led effort to impeach him. Todd disagreed and said, “He has been provided every opportunity to provide exculpatory evidence on any of this and they have chosen not to.”
“No, he hasn’t!” Kennedy said sharply. “Rounds one and two by Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Schiff are as rigged as a carnival ring toss and we both know that.”
