WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly minted White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders flipped Russia conspiracy questions during Tuesday’s press briefing, pointing to a lack of evidence against the Trump Administration and a host of evidence against Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Sanders slammed media questions aimed at showing that there were any “misleading” actions by the Trump campaign or Trump Administration with regards to Russia.
“The thing I see misleading is a year’s worth of stories that have been fueling a false narrative about this Russia collusion. And a phony scandal based on anonymous sources. And, I think if we’re gonna talk about misleading, that’s the only thing misleading I see in this entire process.”
Sanders then accused the media of being focused on a meeting that Trump’s son Don Jr. took, which she characterized as having “no consequence.”
“The Democrats actually colluded with a foreign government like Ukraine,” she pushed back. “The Democrat-linked firm Fusion GPS actually took money from the Russian government while it created the phony dossier that’s been the basis for all of the Russia scandal fake news.”
“Look no further than the Clintons,” for a relationship with Russia, Sanders retorted as reporters attempted to interrupt her statements. She cited the $500,000 former President Bill Clinton accepted to give a speech to a Russian bank. She added that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself thanked Clinton for giving the speech.
She then cited the one-fifth of United States’ uranium that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton allowed to be sold to a Russian firm. Sanders added that the firm’s investors included Clinton Foundation donors.
Evidence of Hillary Clinton’s involvement in selling U.S. uranium to Russian state atomic energy agency Uranium One during her time as Secretary of State is documented in Peter Schweizer’s book Clinton Cash. The book also referenced the New York Times story on the half a million paid to Bill Clinton for the Russian bank speech. An email released through Wikileaks may also be shedding new light on inquiries into links between Hillary Clinton’s opposition to the Magnitsky Act and Bill Clinton’s speech in Moscow.
“The Clinton campaign chairman’s brother lobbied against sanctions on Russia’s largest bank and failed to report it,” Sanders added.
Tony Podesta, the brother of Clinton presidential campaign chairman John Podesta, was paid $170,000 over six months in 2016 to represent Russia’s largest bank and lobby to end economic sanctions against Russia, according to the Daily Caller.
The Press Secretary said the media seemed “obsessed” with discussing Russia relations — and for that the press should look toward the Clintons.
“If you want to talk about somebody who’s actually been tough on Russia, look at President Trump,” she said before stating that Trump wants “more fracking, more coal, more energy, a stronger military, a stronger defense. Those things aren’t good for Russia.”
She accused the media of trying to “create a narrative that just doesn’t exist.”
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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