The Federalist’s Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway spoke out about former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith’s inclination to plead guilty for fabricating evidence suggesting Russian collusion, saying it is “the first indication of some measure of accountability” against those who spread the false narrative.
“At the end of the day, not a single American was found to have colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election, but now we have the first indication of some measure of accountability for the people who perpetrated this false theory they did so much damage to the Republican president and his voters,” Hemingway said on Fox News’s “Special Report With Bret Baier.”
"Not a single American was found to have colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election, but now we have the first indication of a measure of accountability for the people who perpetrated this false theory that did damage to the Republican president and his voters" @MZHemingway pic.twitter.com/GbTe0BSeGg
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) August 15, 2020
Hemingway, who has reported on the Russian collusion hoax since the beginning, said that the lies about collusion in 2016 were “weaponized” and spread through various groups including the federal government, creating “false and damaging” information about President Trump and his campaign.
“For years there were a group of opponents of President Trump who work together to spread a false and damaging conspiracy theory that Trump and his campaign were Russian operatives who had stolen the election,” Hemingway explained.
“This was something that was spread day after day for years. It was weaponized by the federal government and its law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It was spread in part through the Democratic Party and the “Never Trump” movement and it was enabled through co-conspirators in the media who willfully took anonymous leaks to spread this false and dangerous theory,” she added.
Hemingway’s comments come as Kevin Clinesmith, an FBI attorney, planned to plead guilty to federal charges on Friday for “fabricated evidence in a federal spy warrant against Trump campaign affiliate Carter Page.” According to federal documents, the FBI failed to mention that Page had served as an “operational contact” “who helped an agency believed to be the CIA to investigate suspected Russian intelligence figures for five years.”
“Clinesmith, his organization, and their associates put my very life at risk, leading to abusive calls and death threats because of my personal opinions and support for President Trump,” Page told The Federalist. “There is a long way to go on the road to restoring justice in America, but certainly a good first step has now been taken.”
