Democrats and many in the media are arguing that someone taking a brief meeting – that all parties say amounted to nothing – is full-on evidence of a crime.
But what’s barely received any attention is the fact that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC actually took opposition research from a foreign government during the 2016 campaign, and that the foreign government’s efforts actually “had an impact on the race.”
Now the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee is saying that if the Democrats did what Politico reported, it would have been inappropriate behavior.
ABC’s JONATHAN KARL: Ok, you’ve heard, they’ve also pointed to this issue with the Democratic Party and the Ukrainian embassy. This comes from a story in Politico that ran January. The headline, “Ukrainian Efforts To Sabotage Trump Backfire,” and I want to read from the article: “A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the DNC met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia…The Ukrainian efforts had an impact in this race, helping to force Manafort’s resignation and advancing the narrative that Trump’s campaign was deeply connected to Ukraine’s foe to the east, Russia.” So, let me ask you, I understand Hillary Clinton lost, I understand this effort was not as elaborate as the Russian effort. but was it acceptable, or would it have been acceptable for the Democrats to accept help from the Ukrainian government in this campaign?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF: No, it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Democrats to get help from the Ukrainian government.
Background
DNC consultant and former staffer Alexandra Chalupa “met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington” to receive opposition research designed to hurt then-candidate Donald Trump. “Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clinton’s allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation found. A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. … Chalupa went on to work as a staffer, then as a consultant, for Democratic National Committee.” (Ken Vogel & David Stern, “Ukrainian Efforts To Sabotage Trump Backfire,” Politico, 1/11/17)
Chapula confirmed to Politico that she shared the foreign government’s opposition research with Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC. “In an interview this month, Chalupa told Politico she had developed a network of sources in Kiev and Washington, including investigative journalists, government officials and private intelligence operatives. … She occasionally shared her findings with officials from the DNC and Clinton’s campaign, Chalupa said.” (Ken Vogel & David Stern, “Ukrainian Efforts To Sabotage Trump Backfire,” Politico, 1/11/17)
Politico: “The Ukrainian efforts had an impact on the race…” The Ukrainian efforts had an impact in the race, helping to force Manafort’s resignation and advancing the narrative that Trump’s campaign was deeply connected to Ukraine’s foe to the east, Russia. (Ken Vogel & David Stern, “Ukrainian Efforts To Sabotage Trump Backfire,” Politico, 1/11/17)
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