“During a hearing on election fraud Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) torched Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) for falsely labeling the Hunter Biden scandal a Russian misinformation operation that Republicans helped spread.
(Photo)
.@SenRonJohnson: “You lied repeatedly in the press that I was spreading Russian disinformation…I told you to stop…”@SenGaryPeters: “This is not about airing your grievances. I don’t know what rabbit hole you’re running down…”
Full video here: https://t.co/2RpqO2s58g pic.twitter.com/BVDJEucALD
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 16, 2020
“I just have to talk about Russian disinformation because the people peddling it are not on my side of the aisle,” Johnson snapped after Peters had questioned fired DHS cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs about foreign disinformation campaigns and Trump’s “damaging” accusations of election fraud.
Senior Democratic leaders, including Ranking Member Peters, were involved in a process of creating a false intelligence product that was supposed to be classified. They leaked to the media that accused [Senator] Grassley, the president pro temp of the Senate, and myself, of accepting and disseminating Russian disinformation from Andrii Derkach. I never heard of the person until they brought it up. Senator Peters introduced that false information, Russian disinformation, into our investigation record,” Johnson said.
“Fifty people associated with the intelligence community, after our Hunter Biden investigation and the revelations of Hunter Biden computer, said, ‘Oh this is Russian disinformation.’ Now we found out, no it was a real investigation by the Justice Department. So it is just galling and I have to point out that the purveyors of Russian disinformation, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, the DNC, the Steele Dossier, Ranking Member Peters accusing Senator Grassley and I of disseminating Russian disinformation—that’s where the disinformation is coming, that’s where the false information, the lies, the false allegations. I can’t sit by and listen to this and say this is not disinformation, this hearing today,” he continued. “this is not disinformation in this hearing today. This is good information we have to look at to restore confidence in our election integrity.
“We’re not going to be able to just move on without bringing up these irregularities and examining them, and providing an explanation, and seeing where there really are problems so we can correct them and move forward.
Sen. Peters objected to Johnson’s accusations, arguing that he “had nothing to do with the report” alleging Russian disinformation.
“You lied repeatedly. You lied repeatedly in the press that I was spreading Russian disinformation, and that was an outright lie, and I told you to stop lying, and you continued to do it,” Johnson seethed.
“Mr. Chairman, this is not about airing your grievances. I don’t know what rabbit hole you’re running down,” Peters stammered.
The two sniped back and forth with Peters accusing Johnson of making “false allegations” and undermining the committee’s “great work.”
“It is what you have done to this committee,” Johnson shot back. “False; accusing the chairman of spreading disinformation. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and you’re spouting it again, which is why I had to respond.” (Read more: AmericanGreatness, 12/16/2020) (Archive)