Sen. Johnson: Media 'either duped or complicit' in Russia election interference 'narrative'

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) accused the media of being "either duped or complicit" on the interference of the 2016 election by Russians.

“I want the press to be honest. I want Pulitzer Prizes to be returned. They were either duped or complicit in pushing that false narrative that put America in political turmoil for years,” Johnson told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.” 

“It's continuing to go on, all based on a Hillary Clinton dirty trick, the Steele Dossier that those guys knew was a dirty trick, and yet they used that to gin up the Mueller investigation, impeachments, everything else,” he added. “Listen, this is, again election interference orders of magnitude worse than anything Russia or China ever, ever could hope to achieve,” he added.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard put out a report last week alleging that Obama administration officials manipulated intelligence linked to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Gabbard argued in a statement that former officials took part in a “treasonous conspiracy” and said her office was turning over evidence to the Justice Department for possible criminal referrals.

The report follows President Trump’s March memo ordering the declassification of “all files related to Crossfire Hurricane,” the name given to the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump has long denied that Russia influenced his successful White House bid in 2016 against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

On Tuesday, Former President Obama denied the Trump administration’s assertions that he manipulated evidence linked to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement to The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.

“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to The Clinton Foundation for comment.