Frothy Rick Santorum is one of the 'experts' CNN pays to pontificate on subjects like international intelligence gathering. More than a decade ago, he was famously fact-checked by Fox News in 2006 when he asserted that Iraq had WMDs-- good thing for Rick both Fox viewers and producers have very short memories.
Paul Begala and Chris Cuomo went toe to toe with him on whether the Kremlin has funded the efforts of Trump's coup of our Democracy. Ricky doesn't buy it. He 'works' with people in 'the cyber,' (like Barron Trump, perhaps?) and he knows better.
CUOMO: How come you were not equally upset by our incoming president sheltering Russia from responsibility for the hacks?
SANTORUM: Well, first off, the idea that Russia had an impact on the election because --
CUOMO: -- because you guys conflate those issues and I understand why it works for you, but it's a little intellectually --
SANTORUM: No, but first -- well, first off, I take issue and I've done this publicly and I'll continue to do it, that "Russia was responsible for hacks." First off, it wasn't a hack. It was a fishing expedition that landed --
CUOMO: Right, but there were other different hacks the Intelligence Community has consensus on. There's no diversions of opinion about who was motivating those hacks, who was channeling the information --
SANTORUM: Yes. So let me say this. I work for a cybersecurity -- I do some work in a cybersecurity area and I've talked to a lot of people who have actually looked at this information and here's what they've told me from inside and outside the government. If there's a -- if there's a -- if there's a trail of breadcrumbs that says this is the Russians, it's probably not the Russians because the Russians are so good that they actually -- I think it's --
CUOMO: So they all said it's Russia. Why would they come to the consensus that it's Russia? Why would they all lie about this?
SANTORUM: Unfortunately, I think this is what Trump is worried about, is the politicization of intelligence.
CUOMO: So you don't believe the Intel Community about Russia being behind it?
SANTORUM: I think -- I think -- no. I think the leaders of the Intel Community -- the folks who are political appointees of this president have -- yes, I think they have -- they have taken the study that was done, which was not done by the government. It was hired -- the DNC hired an outside contractor to go in and look at this and they are not --
CUOMO: It had nothing to do with the Russian hacks -- of the election..... You're talking about the dossier which was something totally different.
Of course Rick is trying to divert the attention from the real issue: there's no doubt that the Russians were pivotal in this whole election. So, he blames the DNC for lax security.
SANTORUM: The DNC didn't turn their evidence over to the government. The DNC had a private contractor look at this information and say this is what they've concluded and then they -- we base our intelligence estimates on that. This is -- to me, it's wrong.
CUOMO: Well, hold on a second, Rick. Rick, hold on. Rick, that doesn't make any sense. I'm talking about the Intel Community's consensus that Russia motivated --
SANTORUM: That's correct.
CUOMO: -- the hacks that wound up benefiting WikiLeaks and Donald Trump because he kept asking for people to read them. That has nothing to do with the DNC having lousy defense. It has nothing to do with the dossier that the Intel Community decided to show the president and the president-elect.
SANTORUM: As you know --
CUOMO: That's a totally different issue.... I'm saying do you accept the Intel Community's conclusion that Russia was behind it? I'm not saying the DNC did a good job.
SANTORUM: They didn't. They did a lousy job.
CUOMO: I'm saying they should own the responsibility for who was motivating those hacks and I don't get why you shelter Russia.
SANTORUM: And, I --
CUOMO: I don't get it.
SANTORUM: I'm not sheltering Russia. I just think as -- and one of the reasons I'm excited that the Congress is going to pursue this and actually look into this is because I think they'll get to the truth. I think the truth is that if it's very clear to everybody and for -- in this briefing that was done. They point out obvious things that the -- that make it clear that this was the Russians. If it was obvious, I guarantee you the Russians are so good they are not going to be obvious, but they're going to be pointed out.
Alysin Camerota noticed that Paul Begala was trying to suppress numerous eyerolls throughout Santorum's comments. He had a pretty funny assessment of Santorum's flawed premise.
CAMEROTA: Hey, Paul, was this the easiest segment you've ever been in?
BEGALA: Yes. Well, if my fingers are on the -- fingerprints are on the murder weapon it's obvious I didn't do it.
That sounds very much like what Trump's band of malicious malcontents will be claiming every time they are caught 'Red' handed. When dealing with a Trump surrogate, it's eaasier if you just expect logic to be upended in every way.
