Thread by @cjs3872

Thanks to reporting from various sources, we now know that at least 14 GOP lawmakers (nine senators, three governors, and two congressmen, both from CA) are tied up in various segments of Bob Mueller's probe into election interference in 2016.

Six are tied in due to money they got from Russian oligarchs Viktor Vekselberg and Len Blavatnik. They are Sens. Mitch McConnell (MS), Marco Rubio (FL), Lindsey Graham (SC), and John McCain (AZ), along with Govs. John Kasich (OH) and Scott Walker (WI).

dallasnews.com/opinion/commen…

Four more are tied to Cambridge Analytica, all of whom are senators. Those senators are Ted Cruz (TX), Thom Tillis (NC), Tom Cotton (AR), and Roy Blunt (MO).

Another three GOP lawmakers are now known to be under investigation for their ties to Paul Manafort. They would be Sen. Jim Risch (ID) and congressmen Ed Royce and Dana Rohrabacher, both from CA.

The 14th GOP lawmaker known to have ties to Russia is FL Gov. Rick Scott, who in 2015, made a deal with the Russian Weapons Company, a sanctioned entity, to get Kalashnikov USA built in Pompano Beach. Two months later, the NRA's brass went to Moscow.

medium.com/@LaddEveritt/n…

Since I put this out, another BIG Russia connection to Scott has become known through a @politico article that could make him a subject, if not a target of Bob Mueller's probe. He's made deals with other sanctioned Russian entities, which is ILLEGAL.

politico.com/states/florida…

We now know of a 16th current GOP lawmaker tied to what Mueller's investigating, and a sixth tied to Cambridge Analytica. That GOP lawmaker would be Trey Gowdy, who's one of the most powerful members of the GOP House contingent.

patribotics.blog/2017/09/24/exc…

Not yet mentioned in this thread is Sen. Rand Paul's ties to Cambridge Analytica through the Trump-Parscale Chart from @WendySiegelman and @Medium. As of now, this is the only current tie Paul is known to have to a portion of what Mueller's investigating.

medium.com/@wsiegelman/tr…

Earlier in this thread, I mentioned there were 3 GOP lawmakers, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch and CA Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher and Ed Royce that are under investigation for their ties to Manafort. Here's the story about that:

idahostatesman.com/news/politics-…

And also I had mentioned four GOP senators tied to Cambridge Analytica prior to the additions of Rand Paul and Trey Gowdy. Here's the article that shows the links of Sens. Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and Thom Tillis:

cnn.com/2018/03/20/pol…

And here's the story detailing the connection of yet another GOP senator to Cambridge Analytica, Missouri's Roy Blunt:

mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-…

It seems that there's another GOP lawmaker we can add to those tied to Cambridge Analytica, & that's Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10), the 7th GOP lawmaker to be tied to CA, and the 17th tied to Russia or a portion of what Mueller's investigating.

mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-…

And remember that story from earlier this year regarding Cambridge Analytica? Among those listed as being involved was the ENTIRE NC GOP apparatus. That begs this question. Are all 12 members of Congress from NC (10 House, 2 Senate) mixed up in this mess?

cnn.com/2018/03/20/pol…

With the heavy role that Mark Meadows (NC-11) has played in the House's attempt to undermine the DOJ, and now attempt to impeach Rod Rosenstein in what's a symbolic gesture, since they'd NEVER get a two-thirds vote in the Senate, you have to wonder.

nbcnews.com/politics/congr…

Good Lord! Now there's an 18th GOP lawmaker tied to elements of what Mueller's investigating. This time, it CA Rep. Mimi Walters, the third member of California's House GOP contingent linked, and the 8th GOP lawmaker to be linked to Cambridge Analytica.

latimes.com/politics/essen…

Remember the @davidhogg111-led boycott against the sponsors of Laura Ingraham's show in late-March/early April? That nabbed 28 sponsors at one point. The list of GOP lawmakers tied to Russia or something else Mueller's investigating is beginning to rival that. ...

... Now we can add another governor (#4) to the list of those GOP lawmakers tied to a portion of what Mueller's investigating, and it's a BIG one. It's another one tied to Cambridge Analytica, and this one also has Ukranian ties. ...

... TX Gov. Greg Abbott is the latest GOP lawmaker that can now be linked to Cambridge Analytica & the firm involved has ties to Ukraine. Abbott's the 9th GOP lawmaker tied to CA. He's also the 4th governor & 19th GOP lawmaker tied to the overall inquiry.

gizmodo.com/aggregateiq-cr…

And what's interesting about the four GOP governors now tied to either Russia or a piece of what Mueller's investigating is this: They're tied in three different ways. Kasich and Walker via Vekselberg/Blavatnik, Scott via deals with sanctioned Russian entities, and Abbott via CA.

There's another GOP governor to add to the list of GOP lawmakers tied to Russia and/or portions of what Mueller is investigating. MS Gov. Phil Bryant not only seems to have ties to Cambridge Analytica, but also to individuals involved in Brexit.

thinkprogress.org/brexit-comes-t…

The MS governors addition brings the number of GOP governors tied to Russia (and his involvement may have Russia ties, since Brexit's actors are being investigated for Russian ties) or phases of Mueller's investigation up to five and the number of GOP lawmakers involved up to 20.

And it always seemed odd that, late in the 2016 election cycle, Trump did an event in Mississippi (where he shouldn't have needed to campaign) with Nigel Farage. With Bryant's apparent involvement in all this, that rally now seems to make more sense.

mississippitoday.org/2016/11/15/how…

Blackjack! We now have 21. There's still another GOP lawmaker now tied to Cambridge Analytica. This time, it's Rep. John Faso, the 11th lawmaker tied just to Cambridge Analytica and the 21st tied to either Russia or something Mueller's investigating.

dailyfreeman.com/article/DF/201…

With so many GOP lawmakers tied to Russia and/or other things being investigated by Mueller and/or various U.S. Attorney's Offices, I think it's time to revisit the list of those known through various reporting to be involved in this whole mess, and how they're involved.

I-Those taking money from Vekselberg/Blavatnik/Rusal:

1. Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
2. Sen. John McCain (AZ)
3. Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)
4. Sen. Marco Rubio (FL)
5. Gov. John Kasich (OH)
6. Gov. Scott Walker (WI)

II-Those under investigation for ties to Manafort and a Ukranian lobbyist:

7. Sen. Jim Risch (ID)
8. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA)
9. Rep. Ed Royce (CA)

III-Making deals with sanctioned Russian entities in violation of federal law:

10. Gov. Rick Scott (FL)

IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

11. Sen. Roy Blunt (MO)
12. Sen. Tom Cotton (AR)
13. Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), also tied with a Ukranian steel magnate
14. Sen. Rand Paul (KY) through the Trump-Parscale Chart
15. Sen Thom Tillis (NC) ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

16. Rep. John Faso (NY)
17. Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC)
18. Rep Patrick McHenry (NC)
19. Rep. Mimi Walters (CA)
20. Gov. Greg Abbott (TX), also tied to a Ukranian steel magnate ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (and other connected ties):

21. Gov. Phil Bryant (MS), also tied to Brexit actors, such as Arron Banks and Nigel Farage

That's a quick (as possible) recap of the 21 GOP lawmakers known to be tied to this mess so far.

We can now add an 11th GOP senator to the list of those tied to Russia and/or things being investigated by Mueller or various U.S. Attorney's Offices. Iowa senator Jodi Ernst, making her the 22nd GOP lawmaker connected.

I deliberated on this for about a week because her tie to Cambridge Analytica is unlike so many of the others. She got $133,333 of unsolicited help from Cambridge Analytica, but since CA is named in the report, Ernst's name gets added to the list.

thegazette.com/subject/news/g…

On @maddow tonight, Rachel played excerpts of taped recordings from a fundraiser for WA Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in which CA congressman Devin Nunes, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, basically admits to committing obstruction of justice. This is BIG!

I suspect that both Rod Rosenstein and Bob Mueller may want to have a sit down with Mr. Nunes about this, because on that tape, he basically admits he's obstructing justice. If Mueller expands his investigation to include this, Nunes is in BIG trouble.

If so, then Nunes could become the 23rd GOP lawmaker, and the most powerful member of the House of Representatives so far, to get mixed up in what Mueller's investigating. But more needs to be solidly reported to definitively put him on that list.

And also, Nunes' admission, if it's investigated, could put EVERY member of the House Freedom Caucus that has tried to obstruct and end the Mueller investigation into legal peril, because they could ALL now be subject to an obstruction of justice inquiry by Rosenstein & Mueller.

Among those who could also be in trouble for obstruction of justice should Rosenstein and Mueller investigate what was said on that tape:

-Ron DeSantis (who's running to be FL's next governor)
-Matt Gaetz (FL)
-Mark Meadows (NC)
-Jim Jordan (OH)
-Louie Gohmert (TX)

#NunesTapes

Here's the blockbuster story about what may have gotten a whole slew of GOP members of the House Freedom Caucus into major legal trouble for obstruction of justice:

nbcnews.com/politics/polit…

Given the blockbuster story about the #NunesTapes, it's now quite possible that ALL 8 GOP members of the House who filed those articles of impeachment against Rod Rosenstein could be facing obstruction of justice inquiries.

Here is that list of those 8 GOP House members:

-Mark Meadows (NC)
-Jim Jordan (OH)
-Andy Biggs (AZ)
-Paul Gosar (AZ)
-Scott Perry (PA)
-Jody Hice (GA)
-Matt Gaetz (FL)
-Scott DesJarlis (TN)

All 8 may now be in legal jeopardy, thanks to the #NunesTapes.

newsweek.com/rod-rosenstein…

And here's a corresponding question. How many members of the House Intelligence Committee, which Nunes has been the chairman of, did Nunes also put in potential legal jeopardy (obstruction of justice/conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice) with that little stunt he pulled?

Meanwhile, it appears that there's now a 23rd GOP lawmaker we can add to the list of those tied to Russia and/or portions of which Mueller and various U.S. Attorney's Offices are looking into.

The latest GOP lawmaker we can add to the list is AZ congresswoman Martha McSally, who's running to replace Jeff Flake (who's retiring) in the U.S. Senate. McSally is another GOP lawmaker tied to Cambridge Analytica, this time through John Bolton.

blogforarizona.net/martha-mcsally…

McSally becomes the seventh GOP congressperson to be entangled in this mess, joining 11 senators and five governors, for a total of 23 GOP lawmakers. And that doesn't take into consideration anyone who might be subject to an obstruction inquiry through the #NunesTapes.

There are now an even dozen Senators (and TWO dozen GOP lawmakers) that are now known to mixed up with Russia and/or portions of what Bob Mueller is investigating, and the latest addition may be the strangest one yet. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.

Earlier this year, when Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy, Thune was the only lawmaker listed among the 33 creditors, so Thune was obviously using Cambridge Analytica for something.

mercurynews.com/2018/05/18/cam…

Thune's addition to this 24-karat rogue's gallery of GOP lawmakers involved with Russia and/or portions of what Mueller and various U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating is significant because it now links a GOP lawmaker from that July 4 trip to Russia to a piece of this.

With today's guilty plea of Michael Cohen, a former RNC Deputy Finance Chair, one wonders how long it will be before more GOP lawmakers, in addition to the 24 already mentioned in this thread, are ratted out as being involved in some way to this giant mess.

And remember there are also those 11 GOP House members I mentioned (and possibly up to 10 more) that could find themselves on the wrong end of an obstruction of justice probe, thanks to the August 8 release of the #NunesTapes.

I regret to have to do this, but I have to add another GOP lawmaker to the list of those tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and various U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating. This one is attempting to succeed Rick Scott as Florida's next governor. Rep. Ron DeSantis.

Of course, as we know, Scott is already on this list for his documented ties to Russia (one of which is not yet mentioned in this thread), but there's some reporting tying DeSantis to Cambridge Analytica, ...

news-journalonline.com/news/20180326/…

... not to mention the fact that his name has come up in relation to no less than two other things being investigated. Guccifer 2.0/Wikileaks, his ties to Elliott Broidy (and thus Michael Cohen, who paid the $1.6M settlement for Broidy).

DeSantis may also be subject to an obstruction of justice probe as he's one of those who have been trying to shut down the Mueller investigation, which the #NunesTapes revealed as an attempt to obstruct justice.

nbcnews.com/politics/polit…

The reported ties to Cambridge Analytica, in combination with the other things being investigated is enough, for now, to warrant his addition to this list, making him the 8th GOP congressperson and the 25th GOP lawmaker tied to a part of this mess.

And unfortunately, with this, Florida becomes the first state (and I suspect not the last) to have GOP lawmakers from all three levels, House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the governorship, included on this rogue's gallery, which now totals 25.

Also, Mo Brooks gets added to the list of those who could be in legal jeopardy, as it regards obstruction of justice relating to the #NunesTapes, should such a probe be launched. It seems he's also tried to stop the Mueller investigation.

altoday.com/archives/23545…

SAD NEWS: AZ Sen. John McCain, an American hero who, unfortunately, also happens to be one of the 25 GOP lawmakers on the list of those connected to this mess through money he got from Vekselberg/Blavatnik, has stopped his cancer treatments. A truly sad day for America.

On Saturday evening, the truly sad news came that McCain passed away due to his brain cancer at the age of 81. While he was one of the 25 GOP lawmakers tied to all this (and will continue to be listed, though with special notation), his life and career dwarf any of his misdeeds.

One interesting sidelight from last night's primary elections in Arizona & Florida. No fewer than 3 GOP lawmakers with reported ties to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating. Rick Scott, Ron DeSantis, and Martha McSally all won their primaries.

We have yet another senator to add to the list of those tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and various U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating, and boy, it's a BIG one. This will be the 13th senator (including the late giant John McCain) to be tied by reporting in some way.

That U.S. Senator would be none other than Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. I just discovered that he's connected to Cambridge Analytica through John Bolton's PAC.

publicintegrity.org/2018/03/20/216…

Burr thus becomes the 26th GOP lawmaker (25th active) to have reporting tie him to this huge mess, and the unlucky 13th GOP senator (if you count the late giant John McCain) to be tied to at least some portion of this. Now BOTH NC senators are tied to of this.

And if you add in the involvement of NC congressman Patrick McHenry, Burr also becomes the third GOP lawmaker from North Carolina to be tied by reporting to this. And Burr got hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of help..

publicintegrity.org/2018/07/16/219…

Here are just the most recent additions to the list of those entangled in this mess (all thru Cambridge Analytica):

21. NY Rep. John Faso
22. IA Sen. Joni Ernst
23. AZ Rep. Martha McSally
24. SD Sen. John Thune
25. FL Rep. Ron DeSantis
26. NC Sen. Richard Burr

Based on what I saw this evening on @OpenSecretsDC, combined w/other articles I've seen, I can now put FOUR more GOP lawmakers (2 senators & 2 LA congressmen) as having ties verified by reporting to Russia and/or what's being investigated by Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices.

That brings the number of those tied to this mess, including the late John McCain, to a preposterous THIRTY. The new additions are CO senator Cory Gardner and THREE Louisiana GOP lawmakers. Sen. John Kennedy and congressmen Clay Higgins and Mike Johnson.

The main impetus here is the discovery of the fact that both Gardner and Kennedy, in addition to the articles mentioning ties to Cambridge Analytica, is that they both got boosted by John Bolton's PAC, which is undeniably tied to Cambridge Analytica.

Gardner's 2014 campaign may also be tied to money laundering on the part of the NRA, like those of fellow Sens. Tom Cotton and Thom Tillis, both of whom are already tied to CA through John Bolton's PAC, as well as that of WI Sen. Ron Johnson.

wisconsingazette.com/news/complaint…

As for the LA GOP lawmakers now added, the Cambridge Analytica ties to Clay Higgins and Mike Johnson, as well as Sen. John Kennedy, which were bolstered by Bolton's PAC, in the case of Kennedy, are now too great to be overlooked.

thenewsstar.com/story/news/201…

Also, with Sen. John Kennedy now the second of those eight GOP lawmakers (and seven GOP senators) that went to Moscow for July 4 to be included on this list (SD Sen. John Thune was the first), the other six may need to be looked at with even more scrutiny.

With these additions, there are now no fewer than 19 GOP lawmakers tied just to Cambridge Analytica (Gardner's is a combined CA/NRA money laundering tie), and with the news about the Manafort-Kilimnik tie to CA, that tie to this bears watching.

vox.com/2018/8/31/1780…

By the way, the new additions to this list make the breakdown of GOP lawmakers tied to this mess at 15 senators (14 active, or nearly 30% of the current GOP Senate caucus), 10 congresspeople, and five governors to total the 30 GOP lawmakers (29 active) tied to a part of this..

How many days are there in a full month? I can now say the answer to that question matches the number of GOP lawmakers that are tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating. 31.

After a couple of days of deliberating about it (and originally deciding against it), I have decided that WI Sen. Ron Johnson is the 31st GOP lawmaker and the 16th senator to be tied by reporting, since the NRA's money laundering is a part of this whole mess.

That story about the three senatorial campaigns in 2014 that showed evidence of money laundering by the campaigns of Sens. Cotton, Gardner, and Tillis, also included the campaign of Sen. Ron Johnson in 2016.

wisconsingazette.com/news/complaint…

Of note, this makes Johnson the THIRD senator from that trip to Moscow for July 4 to be tied in some way to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating. The other two, Sens. Thune (SD) and Kennedy (LA) were tied to Cambridge Analytica.

Here's a list of the latest GOP lawmakers to be added to this list:

26. Sen. Richard Burr (NC)-CA
27. Sen. Cory Gardner (CO)-NRA money laundering
28. Sen. John Kennedy (LA)-CA
29-30. Reps. Clay Higgins & Mike Johnson (LA)-CA
31. Sen. Ron Johnson (WI) NRA money laundering

Another day, another GOP lawmaker to add to the list of those involved in this mess. This time, it's WY congresswoman Liz Cheney, the daughter of former VP Dick Cheney, and she appears to be tied to Manafort and financials via Russian oilman Simon Kukes.

miningawareness.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/kuk…

This make Cheney at least the fourth GOP lawmaker to be tied to Paul Manafort's misdeeds (the other three being ID Sen. Jim Risch and CA congressmen Dana Rohrabacher and Ed Royce). Cheney's also the 11th GOP congressperson so entangled, and the 32nd GOP lawmaker overall.

Now that it appears that there's been a pause in this whole situation regarding GOP lawmakers tied by reporting to either Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating, let's update the 32 GOP lawmakers tied to this mess, and how they're involved.

I-Those taking money from Vekselberg/Blavatnik/Rusal:

1. Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
2. Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)
3. Sen. Marco Rubio (FL)
4. Gov. John Kasich (OH)
5. Gov. Scott Walker (WI)
6. Sen. John McCain (deceased)

II-Those under investigation for ties to Manafort and a Ukranian lobbyist:

7. Sen. Jim Risch (ID)
8. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA), also appears to be involved in numerous other ways
9. Rep. Ed Royce (CA)

III-Making deals with sanctioned Russian entities in violation of federal law:

10. Gov. Rick Scott (FL)

IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

11. Sen. Roy Blunt (MO)
12. Sen. Tom Cotton (AR) ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

13. Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), also tied with a Ukranian steel magnate
14. Sen. Rand Paul (KY) through the Trump-Parscale Chart.
15. Sen Thom Tillis (NC)
16. Rep. John Faso (NY)
17. Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC) ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

18. Rep Patrick McHenry (NC)
19. Rep. Mimi Walters (CA)
20. Gov. Greg Abbott (TX), also tied to a Ukranian steel magnate ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

21. Gov. Phil Bryant (MS), also tied to Brexit actors, such as Arron Banks and Nigel Farage
22. Sen. Joni Ernst (IA)
23. Rep. Martha McSally (AZ)

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

24. Sen. John Thune (SD), listed as one of CA's creditors in bankruptcy filing
25. Fmr Rep. Ron DeSantis (FL-resigned), may be involved in other ways.
26. Sen. Richard Burr (NC) ...

... IV-Ties with Cambridge Analytica (some listed have other connected ties):

27. Sen. John Kennedy (LA)
28. Rep. Clay Higgins (LA)
29. Rep. Mike Johnson (LA)

V-Through money laundering/illegal campaign coordination by the NRA:

30. Sen. Cory Gardner (CO), may have an unaffiliated Cambridge Analytica connection
31. Sen. Ron Johnson (WI)

VI-Ties to Russian oil, energy, and financial magnates:

32. Rep. Liz Cheney (WY)

That's a recap of the 32 GOP lawmakers tied by reporting to Russia and/or what Mueller's investigating, and just as importantly in my view, HOW they're connected to this giant mess. Links to all these connections can be found in the articles I've linked in various tweets.

Here's a blockbuster to add to this rogue's gallery. THE most powerful lawmaker of them all, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line to the Presidency, is now the 33rd GOP lawmaker and 12th member of the House GOP caucus to get added to this list.

The reason is his ties to the Guccifer 2.0/Wikileaks portion of what Mueller is looking into. We've known that one of his PACs was involved with the Guccifer 2.0/Wikileaks hacks. That's been known for some time.

salon.com/2016/12/14/gop…

But why he's now on the list of GOP lawmakers tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating is that he also used that stolen material against a Democratic candidate.

m.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7…

It's also worth noting that Ryan and CA congressman Kevin McCarthy were overheard in a conversation in which one of them said that Putin pays Trump and CA congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and that Ryan's not likely to be the only GOP lawmaker tied to Guccifer 2.0/Wikileaks.

It's also noteworthy that, with Ryan's addition to this list of GOP lawmakers tied to this mess, the leaders of BOTH Houses of Congress are now among those tied to this mess. McConnell through payments from Vekselberg and Blavatnik and Ryan through Guccifer 2.0/Wikileaks.

FL Rep. Brian Mast, who's former consultant, Brian Bustamante, admitted to using the stolen documents to adjust voting targets based on the data, is now tied to this mess. Mast becomes the fourth FL GOP lawmaker tied to this mess and 34th overall.

politico.com/states/florida…

I want to make this clear. Just because these articles and other bits of information I'm finding ties these lawmakers to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating doesn't mean they're going to wind up being criminally liable.

Here's the state-by-state breakdown on the 34 GOP lawmakers currently tied by reporting to Russia and/or what Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices are investigating:

4-Florida
3-CA, LA, NC, WI
2-AZ, KY, SC, TX
1-AR, CO, IA, ID, MO, MS, NY, OH, SD, and WY

Here's something to stick a pin in. In addition to the 34 GOP lawmakers known through reporting to be tied to this mess, there are NINE other GOP senators that took from the Mercers AND John Bolton's PAC in 2014 and/or 2016. A significant link between them is Cambridge Analytica.

Those nine GOP senators are as follows:

-Bill Cassidy (LA)
-Chuck Grassley (IA)
-Mike Lee (UT)
-David Perdue (GA)
-Rob Portman (OH)
-Mike Rounds (SD)
-Ben Sasse (NE)
-Dan Sullivan (AK)
-Pat Toomey (PA)

And while those nine GOP senators are not yet among those tied by reporting to Russia and/or anything being investigated by Mueller and U.S. Attorney's Offices, the fact that all nine took from two entities known to be tied to Cambridge Analytica certainly bears watching.

It's happened again. There's yet another GOP lawmaker to add to this seemingly never-ending rogue's gallery. We can now add AR congressman French Hill to the list of those tied to this mess, and he's tied to key members of the Trump Tower Meeting.

In addition to CA congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who seems to be literally everywhere in this story, Hill seemed to also have been involved with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, who were actually in that infamous meeting.

arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/a…

This makes French Hill the 35th GOP lawmaker tied to this mess, the 14th GOP House member (including the resigned Ron DeSantis), and the first tied to this through the Trump Tower Meeting (Rohrabacher was already tied to this mess in other ways).

The most recent GOP lawmakers to get tied to this mess are as follows:

32. Rep. Liz Cheney (WY)-ties to Russian oil magnate Simon Kukes
33-34. Reps. Paul Ryan (WI) and Brian Mast (FL)-weaponizing Guccifer 2.0 info
35. Rep. French Hill (AR)-ties to Russians in Trump Tower Meeting

Here are some other GOP lawmakers to think about. None have been tied by reporting yet, but all of them are known to have crossed paths with Torshin and/or Butina in 2015-'16:

Gov. Matt Bevin (KY)
Rep. Thomas Massie (KY)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN)
ex-Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA)

I've now seen enough to conclude that TN congresswoman Marsha Blackburn is tied to this whole mess. Not only because of her ties to G. Kline Preston, who was one of those who introduced the NRA to Russia, but also her meetings with Alexander Torshin.

thinkprogress.org/tangled-web-of…

This would make Blackburn, long suspected of having ties to this mess through Preston, the 36th GOP lawmaker tied in some way to this mess, and at least the third to have given up a seat in the House to run for higher office (Ron DeSantis & Martha McSally are the other two).

And remember that the NRA is intertwined in this, not just because of their Russian ties, but also because of their illegally coordinating with numerous senatorial campaigns, all of which they're under investigations for, and could wind up placing them in a RICO case.

Those five campaigns the NRA illegally coordinated with, now over three election cycles, would be those of Sens. Cotton, Gardner, and Tillis in 2014, Sen. Johnson in 2016, and the senatorial campaign of MT senate candidate Matt Rosendale in 2018.

And with Blackburn's addition to this rogue's gallery, there are now an even THREE DOZEN GOP lawmakers tied in some way to this mess by reporting from various entities.

Here's a reminder that Russia is STILL trying to stay involved with our election process by backing GOP lawmakers, one that adds two more to this rogue's gallery, while reinforcing the ties of two others long since involved with this mess.

It seems that TX Rep. Pete Sessions and SC Rep. Joe Wilson, along with FL Gov. Rick Scott (again with Russia, Rick?) and Ron DeSantis, who resigned from Congress to focus on succeeding Scott, have taken from a Trump Super PAC with ties to Russia.

thedailybeast.com/watchdog-myste…

Of note, Pete Sessions is the son of former FBI Director William Sessions, who until James Comey was fired last year, was the only FBI Director to be FIRED. This makes Sessions and Joe Wilson the 37th and 38th GOP lawmakers tied to this mess, but with a twist.

While this definitely ties Sessions and Wilson to Russia, since this is for the 2018 mid-terms and not previous elections, it remains unclear whether this particular situation is within Mueller's purview (I'm not sure it is).

With this, we now have 17 GOP congresspeople (including Ron DeSantis, who resigned to focus on his bid to be Rick Scott's successor as FL's governor), 16 GOP senators (including the late John McCain), and 5 GOP governors all tied to this mess. 38 GOP lawmakers in all, 36 active.

There are now FOUR more GOP lawmakers to tie to what's being investigated, and the first lawmakers tied to the Maria Butina situation (Butina was arrested on July 15 and indicted a few days later on FARA-related violations).

Those four GOP lawmakers, all congressmen, are Robert Aderholt (AL), John Moolenaar (MI), Tim Walberg (MI), and Louie Gohmert (TX). They've all gone on missions with a Butina-tied group to Ukraine in recent years.

tytnetwork.com/2018/07/19/gop…

Aderholt, Moolenaar, Walberg, and Gohmert become the 39th, 40th, 41st, and 42nd GOP lawmakers to be tied to this mess in some way. (And remember that Gohmert was one of those 11 congressmen who signed those impeachment articles against Rosenstein this summer.)

The reason these GOP lawmakers are listed as having ties to what's being investigated, while those that went on the 7/4 trip to Moscow aren't is that these lawmakers are tied to a group that's tied to someone who's been arrested & indicted. That 7/4 trip had no such connections.

Here's a recap of the latest GOP lawmakers tied to this mess. All are members of the House of Representatives:

35. Rep. French Hill (AR)-ties to key Russians from the Trump Tower Meeting
36. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN)-ties to NRA/Russia connection

37-38. Reps. Pete Sessions (TX) & Joe Wilson (SC)-taking from a Trump Super PAC tied to Russia for the mid-terms
39-42. Reps. Robert Aderholt (AL), John Moolenaar (MI), Tim Walberg (MI), & Louie Gohmert (TX)-ties to a Butina-tied group that went on trips to Ukraine in recent yrs

After weeks of deliberation, I think we can add KY Rep. Thomas Massie to the list of those tied to this mess, and it's through Maria Butina (jailed and indicted) and Alexander Torshin (sanctioned by the government), the key Russian emissaries to the NRA.

thinkprogress.org/george-oneill-…

The clincher to me comes near the end of the linked article in the previous tweet. Massie thus becomes the 43rd GOP lawmaker, the third from Kentucky (the others being the state's two U.S. Senators) tied to this mess in some way, and the fifth tied to Maria Butina.

Will this never end? We have still another GOP lawmaker to add to the list. MT congressman Greg Gianforte, best known for body slamming a reporter prior to a special election last year, is also tied to Rosneft/Gazprom.

thinkprogress.org/greg-gianforte…

This makes Gianforte the 44th GOP lawmaker tied by reporting to Russia and/or what Mueller and other parts of the DOJ are investigating. More over, he's the first GOP lawmaker to be tied to Rosneft/Gazprom.

The Russian oil money portion of this is a significant part of what's being investigated by Mueller, but until now, no GOP lawmaker had been tied to that portion of this mess. This avenue of Mueller's query may eventually answer quite a bit about why the GOP is so complicit.

The question is, along with Gianforte's documented ties to this sanctioned Russian oil giant, how many more GOP lawmakers and other top government officials are tied to this? I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this.

Here's a recap of the latest GOP lawmakers tied to this mess. All are members of the House of Representatives:

39-42. Reps. Robert Aderholt (AL), John Moolenaar (MI), Tim Walberg (MI), & Louie Gohmert (TX)-ties to a Butina-linked group that went on trips to Ukraine in recent yrs

43. KY Rep. Thomas Massie-ties to Maria Butina (jailed and indicted) and Alexander Torshin (sanctioned by the government), Russia's key NRA emissaries
44. MT Rep. Greg Gianforte-ties to Rosneft/Gazprom

Here's some info on the deleted article that had been linked in that tweet on Faso's connection to Cambridge Analytica:

wavefarm.org/wgxc/newsroom/…

Remember that article by @TYTNetwork regarding four GOP lawmakers tied to a Butina-linked group that went on trips/missions to Ukraine and Eastern Europe? There was a fifth GOP lawmaker mentioned, IL congressman Randy Hultgren, who went on trips to Norway.

It turns out the same Butina-linked entity that backed the trips made by AL congressman Robert Aderholt also was involved with the trips alluded in that article to that Hultgren made to Norway, tying him to this, as well.

tytnetwork.com/2018/07/19/gop…

This makes Hultgren the 45th GOP lawmaker tied to what's being investigated, and at least the sixth tied in some way to Butina, who's currently in a DC jail awaiting trial on charges relating to FARA violations. A superseding indictment may not be out of the question.

Here's the state-by-state breakdown on the 45 GOP lawmakers (in 22 states) currently tied by reporting to Russia and/or what Mueller and the DOJ are investigating:

4-FL, TX
3-CA, KY, LA, NC, SC, WI
2-AR, AZ, MI
1-AL, CO, IA, ID, IL, MO, MT, MS, NY, OH, SD, TN, WY

Remember those stories regarding GOP lawmakers and campaign coordination with the NRA involving a group called OnMessage? Well, that's not going away, and it could metastasize. In addition to the 7 campaigns we know about, there are many more GOP lawmakers tied to OnMessage.

Among those we didn't know about who are clients of OnMessage are AR Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Reps. Virginia Foxx (NC-5), Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Gary Palmer (AL-6), Glenn Grothman (WI-6), Bruce Westerman (AR-4), Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), David Rouzer (NC-7), ...

... Diane Black (TN-4), Martha McSally (AZ-2, already tied to Cambridge Analytica), Pete Sessions (TX-32, already tied to a Trump Super PAC tied to Russia), Bill Flores (TX-17), Rob Wittman (VA-1), Pete Olson (TX-22), Kenny Marchant (TX-24), Jeb Hensarling (TX-5), ...

... Brett Guthrie (KY-2), Bob Gibbs (OH-7), Robert Aderholt (AL-4, already tied to a Butina-linked group that went on trips/missions to Eastern Europe), Richard Hudson (NC-8), and Jim Renacci (OH-16). That's 21 more GOP lawmakers who are clients of OnMessage.

To be fair, not any of these 21 GOP lawmakers have been tied by reporting to what the other seven campaigns have been tied to, in terms of using OnMessage to coordinate between their campaigns and the NRA, but it's certainly something to put in the memory bank.

Now that Josh Hawley's been declared the winner of his Senate race against Claire McCaskill, he'll become, when he's sworn in, at least the 46th GOP lawmaker tied to what Mueller & the DOJ are investigating, and the 16th to be in the U.S. Senate in the next Congress.

Here's a list of those tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and the DOJ are investigating that WON their elections on Tues. night/Wed. morning:

-Gov.-Elect Ron DeSantis (FL)
-Gov. Greg Abbott (TX)
-Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC)
-Rep. Clay Higgins (LA)
-Rep. Mike Johnson (LA) ...

... Rep. Liz Cheney (WY)
-Rep. Brian Mast (FL)
-Rep. French Hill (AR)
-Rep. Joe Wilson (SC)
-Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL)
-Rep. John Moolenaar (MI)
-Rep. Tim Walberg (MI)
-Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX)
-Rep. Thomas Massie (KY)
-Rep. Greg Gianforte (MT)
-Sen.-Elect Josh Hawley (MO)

Here's a list of those tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and the DOJ are investigating that LOST their elections on Tues. night/Wed. morning:

-Gov. Scott Walker (WI)
-Rep. John Faso (NY)
-Rep. Pete Sessions (TX)
-Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL)

Three GOP lawmakers tied to this mess, CA Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (trailing), AZ Rep. Martha McSally (leading in race for Senate in AZ), and FL Gov. Rick Scott (leading in race for Senate in FL), are in races that have not yet been called.

Four others tied to this mess, OH Gov. John Kasich (term limits), SC Rep. Trey Gowdy (retiring), CA Rep. Ed Royce (retiring), and House Speaker Paul Ryan (WI) (retiring), did not run.

Let's add CA Rep. Mimi Walters (Cambridge Analytica) to the list of GOP lawmakers tied to this mess who's races have not been officially called, but like McSally and Scott, Walters is leading in her race in #CA45.

That is how the GOP lawmakers tied to Russia and/or what Mueller and the DOJ are investigating fared in last night's elections. 15 were re-elected, 4 were defeated, 4 are in races that have not yet been called, and 4 either chose not to run or were term-limited and couldn't run.

And here's another upshot from last night's election results. If current FL Gov. Rick Scott holds on in his Senate bid, there will be no fewer than 19 GOP senators in the next Congress tied to this mess, which now extends over 3 election cycles, in one way or another. NINETEEN!