Democratic Rep Points Finger At House GOP Over Alleged Russian Election Interference Campaign With Conservative Influencers

Representative Daniel Goldman (D-NY) slammed House Republicans for attacks on federal government efforts to fight foreign election interference through engagement with social media companies, which he argued “pave the way for Russia to do exactly what it has now been charged with doing.”

The criticism comes after a DOJ indictment was unsealed on Wednesday alleging that Russian state-owned outlet RT paid $10 million to a Tennessee firm, identified as Tenet Media, to distribute content with concealed Russian messaging in a bid to interfere in the 2024 presidential election. Tenet Media employs several high-profile right-wing influencers, including Tim Pool and Benny Johnson, who argue they are “victims” if the allegations are true.

Speaking to MSNBC’s Deadline on Thursday, Goldman hit out at the GOP members on the Weaponization of the Federal Government subcommittee, on which he also sites, for having “spent this entire congress attacking the government for trying to stop malign influencers like Russia.” He argued that these attacks on attempts by the federal government to work with social media companies, citing the First Amendment, have served to “chill” the ability to fight against “malign” foreign actors.

Asked about the indictment by host Nicolle Wallace, Goldman began:

Well, look, it is the continuation of what we saw in 2016, what Russia tried to do in 2020. And now, it’s confirmation that Russia is trying to once again meddle in our election. Our presidential election, and that it’s clear it’s trying to do so to support [Republican nominee] Donald Trump, who should also be included in the category of at minimum a useful idiot for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.

The congressman then rounded to point the finger at House Republicans:

But what is I think a little bit more disquieting to me at least, as someone who sits on this so-called Weaponization of the Federal Government subcommittee in congress under Jim Jordan’s chairmanship, is that they have spent this entire congress attacking the government for trying to stop malign influencers like Russia and using euphemisms like censorship and efforts to interfere in the First Amendment. All so that they could pave the way for Russia to do exactly what it has now been charged with doing and sanctioned for doing.

I’m not making any allegations that they knew about any of this, but I certainly have been banging the drum that the point of this subcommittee was to chill the government from having any interactions with social media companies in order to stop election interference, and now we see exactly what we’re talking about when we talk about election interference.

Watch above on MSNBC.