John Brennan’s Russian-Trump testimony big nothingburger

OPINION:

John Brennan, former CIA director, said during congressional testimony this week that Russian officials most definitely tried to interfere in America’s 2016 elections, and that he was concerned they may have recruited some of President Donald Trump’s aides to help with the sabotage.

It’s all conjecture, suggestion and innuendo, once again. Nothing factual to show that Trump worked with Russia to steal the election — which is the whole cry of the left, and the whole reason why this story won’t die.

Let’s put our thinking caps on for a second. Of course Russia tried to intervene in America’s elections. All governments try do that — yes, even the United States, most recently, with Team Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime minister run.

But that’s not the same as saying Russia was successful at swaying the election.

And that’s most definitely not the same as saying Trump worked with Russia.

Brennan was even asked directly by lawmakers at this hearing whether he had any evidence to show Trump did indeed partner with Russians to win the election — if collusion occurred.

Brennan’s answer? First the circle, then the dodge.

“Seeing these types of contacts during the same period raised my concern,” he said, CNN reported.

So what you mean, Mr. Brennan, is, “No.” It’s a big nothingburger.

But the drama played — and the press, of course, pounced.

Here’s some more of Brennan’s mumbo-jumbo, as noted by Politico: “I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals.”

That’s quite a mouthful. But it’s not exactly shocking, or helpful in determining the left’s overall charge against Trump — collusion. What he was basically saying is that he read the same media reports as the rest of us about suggestions that Russians interfered in the election process, and that he was concerned.

OK. So what? Who wouldn’t be concerned at the notion of Russia working with Team Trump to strip the election from Hillary Clinton?

But once again — and this is the point that’s constantly being lost in the mainstream media — there is absolutely no proof, no evidence, no factual basis that Trump worked hand-in-hand with Russia to win the presidency. None.

And that’s pretty much what Brennan himself concluded when he said “it raised questions in my mind again whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.”

Meaning — he’s not sure.

What he is sure about is that Russia “brazenly interfered” in U.S. elections, and that Russian officials contacted Trump campaign officials on numerous occasions — ostensibly, to get them to join in the interference. At least, that’s what we’re supposed to believe.

But again: That’s not collusion.

That’s not one and the same as saying that Trump himself, or Trump team members, actively worked with Russian folk to subvert the whole election process and swing votes away from Clinton.

That’s what the left is trying so desperately hard to have believed; that’s the line of thought the left is relying on when it makes its calls for impeachment and tries to paint Trump as something less than a bona fide president.

But the elephant in the room is this: There’s no evidence to draw that conclusion.

And Brennan’s testimony, while dramatically played in the press with headlines, like this one from CNN that screamed, “Ex-CIA chief John Brennan: Russians contacted Trump campaign,” fact is, all that’s left from his rhetoric is the same that was floating in the air before he spoke: conjecture.

What’s perhaps more significant from Brennan’s testimony is this, as CNN noted: “Brennan said that he first picked up on Russia’s active meddling last summer and, in an August 4, 2016, phone call with Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency, warned him against further interference.”

So that would place the whole Russian-interference-into-American-politics thing squarely in the lap of Barack Obama’s administration. And what did Obama do about this interference?

Nothing, it seems.

Too bad Obama couldn’t have nipped the Russian interference in the bud during his presidency. Then maybe the whole Russian-Trump collusion charge the left is so desperately trying to make true wouldn’t play so prominently in the press these days.