The Democrats are currently portraying themselves as the anti-Kremlin party as a political bludgeon against President Donald Trump. However, the Democrats are conveniently ignoring the left’s ties to Russia.
The Daily Caller reports that the following leftists work as hosts for RT, the state-run Kremlin propaganda network where they spew their left-wing views:
- Ed Schultz, formerly of MSNBC
- Sean Stone, the far-left Oliver Stone’s son
- Thom Hartmann, leftist talk show host
- Chris Hedges, New York Times reporter
- Max Keiser, Huffington Post writer
- Larry King
The Daily Caller also points out that RT sponsored a December event that featured Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and the vile anti-Israel Max Blumenthal, the son of Hillary Clinton’s confidant Sidney Blumenthal. Both Stein and Max Blumenthal praised the Kremlin and RT.
Additionally, the report notes that both The New York Times and The Washington Post – two news outlets that have consistently churned out stories about the Trump administration’s ties to Russia – receive “advertising dollars from Russia, and they run inserts which to the average reader could be confused as editorial content or of content those papers support,” according to John Dickey of ORA TV, a network that partners with RT.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that these leftists work for a Kremlin propaganda network; the dirty little secret is that there was once a time where the left didn’t seem to have a problem with the Russians.
Remember when President Barack Obama promised then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, “After my election I have more flexibility”? Or when Mitt Romney’s prescient warnings about Russia were mocked by Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Kerry and MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow?
Additionally, transcripts of Hillary Clinton’s 2013 speeches revealed by WikiLeaks featured her praising Putin as “very engaging” and even saying, “We don’t believe that there will be a threat from Russia.”
There are definitely legitimate reasons to be concerned about Russia as well as the newfound warmth for Putin among some Republicans. However, the Democrats and leftists howling about the Trump administration’s alleged ties to Russia are clearly only doing so as part of a partisan witch hunt instead of genuine concern about Putin. Otherwise, they’d denounce leftists like Schultz and Hartmann who work for Putin’s propaganda network.
Follow Aaron Bandler on Twitter @bandlersbanter.