Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced that 13 Russian nationals had been indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for trying to influence the 2016 presidential election.
They have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., among other crimes, in an alleged effort to spread “distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general.”
That statement in itself seems to indicate the Russian meddling involved efforts on both sides, if not for other candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, etc.
But here’s where it truly gets heartbreaking for the Democrats. The DOJ made two stunning admissions in announcing these indictments, both of which clear the Trump campaign in two major storylines that have been ginned up regarding ‘Russian collusion.’
DOJ: There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was a knowing participant in the alleged unlawful activity. There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 16, 2018
It’s a thorough and detailed indictment. The only references to Trump campaign officials refer to three members of the campaign’s Florida team who were played by Russians posing as U.S. persons and other “unwitting” members. Nothing hinting at collusion in this indictment.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) February 16, 2018
Boom! Did you hear that sound? It’s a wrecking ball being taken to the hopes and dreams of all liberals this past year-and-a-half.
“There’s no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge,” Rosenstein explained. “And the nature of the scheme was the defendants took extraordinary steps to make it appear that they were ordinary American political activists, even going so far as to base their activities on a virtual private network here in the United States so if anybody traced it back to the first jump, they appeared to be Americans.”
That was the first swing of the wrecking ball. And here comes the backswing …
“There is no allegation in the indictment of any effect on the outcome of the election,” Rosenstein admitted.
Oh, the heartache!
Dems hearing Rod Rosenstein say “There is no allegation that any American was a willing participant in Russian meddling” or that it “altered the outcome” of the election: pic.twitter.com/NhVxUqHg3u
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 16, 2018
Take a look at Rosenstein stating unequivocally that no American had any knowledge of Russian attempts to throw a wrench into the election.
Rosenstein: “There is no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge” of this Russian campaign meddling. pic.twitter.com/IfE6xLHVWD
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 16, 2018
Poor Hillary Clinton. She spent all this time hoping and praying for proof that she had lost due to Russian interference.
During a Women for Women International event in New York last May, Clinton talked about “the unprecedented interference, including from a foreign power whose leader is not a member of my fan club,” a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Now she has to look herself in the mirror and repeat Rosenstein’s words – no ‘effect on the outcome of the election.’
You lost, Hillary. Fair and square. Now you truly do have nobody to blame but yourself.
Was it worth all this time and money for the DOJ to investigate a Russian bot farm that had no effect on the election? Tell us what you think below!