Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate are warning that Republicans in Sen. Ron Johnson’s Committee are laundering foreign disinformation to harm former Vice President Joe Biden.
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner sent a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray requesting a “defensive counterintelligence briefing” for all members about Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election:
”We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November.
”…Due to the ongoing nature of these threats, we ask that the FBI provide this briefing prior to the August recess at the earliest possible opportunity, and that your office outline a plan for the briefing by Monday, July 20.”
The lawmakers included a classified attachment that backed up their concerns based on “the Executive Branch’s own reporting and analysis.”
Among the Democrat’s chief concerns is reportedly the Senate Homeland Security Committee, led by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. They warn that a Russia-linked disinformation campaign targeting Biden is “laundering” information to Johnson, who is then releasing that information through his committee’s Biden/Ukraine probe.
When asked about this allegation, Johnson acknowledged his investigation may be receiving disinformation from foreign intelligence services but promised that his staffers fully vet it.
Asked about the letter today, Johnson said: “I’m not aware of every piece of information our committee has gathered. We’re encouraging people to send us information, but then we fully vet it … We take everything with a grain of salt we get from Ukraine. I think you have to.”
Johnson’s panel is reportedly expected to issue subpoenas for current and former Biden advisers who they believe have information on Biden’s connection to the Ukraine gas company Burisma. In May, the panel approved a subpoena along party lines for Blue Star Strategies, a consulting firm that worked for Ukrainian energy company Burisma when Biden’s son Hunter served on the board.
Johnson renewed his demand for transcribed interviews and documents from the former officials days after Ukrainian lawmaker Andrey Derkach, who has met with Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to discuss investigating the Bidens, accused Biden, his son and Hochstein in a press conference of an elaborate conspiracy to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from Ukraine.
* Reminder: Johnson was among the eight Republican lawmakers who visited Moscow on 2018’s July 4.
* Reminder: Last year, Johnson met with Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat who was known for circulating conspiracy theories about the Ukrainian government and the Democratic National Committee collaborating during the 2016 election. He was also very involved in the Ukraine quid pro quo.
