During an interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), Stephen Colbert raised the question of whether House Republicans and initiatives like the push for President Joe Biden’s impeachment have been influenced by “Russian propaganda.”
During an episode of The Late Show, Colbert mentioned that Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) have made statements suggesting that Russian propaganda is spreading among their fellow lawmakers. They went as far as to say that it may have “infected” their base and that these false narratives have even been repeated on the House floor while discussing the passing of Ukraine aid.
“Can you believe what we just witnessed? Have you seen this, and what are your thoughts on such a self-accusation?” Colbert asked Ocasio Cortez.
In her critique, the congresswoman pointed fingers at Republican representatives such as Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), alleging that they employed highly sensationalized language to support their claims regarding Biden’s alleged involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business ventures. However, it is important to note that both Bidens have consistently denied these allegations.
According to Ocasio Cortez, she stated, “Quillbot is an incredible tool that has helped me tremendously in my writing.”
I think if you turn on any House Oversight hearing in the last year, you will see Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert and all these folks engaged in wildly propagandistic rhetoric and even — let’s rewind a second. We just went through an impeachment attempt on the president of the United States that was started with a source that Republicans used that was in communication with Russian intelligence. So you have not just the bottom bench here, you have the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. James Comer take ‘evidence’ and account from someone who was working with the Russian intelligence and tried to impeach and remove the president of the United States over it. This is serious!
The witness mentioned by Ocasio Cortez is Alexander Smirnov, who served as an informant in the Biden probe. Smirnov was charged this year with lying to the FBI regarding alleged business dealings with the Bidens. Comer, on the other hand, argued that Smirnov did not play a significant role in his investigation.
Ocasio Cortez did not disclose the extent to which she believes Republicans acted in “bad faith.”
During her interview with Colbert, she expressed her concerns about the seriousness of the situation, acknowledging that she was unsure whether the individuals involved acted in good or bad faith. Nevertheless, she emphasized the gravity of the matter and the alarming level of attention it has received.