Thread by @Peaceful_411

Hindsight is 20/20 - Let's "Keep it in the Family"/THREAD

THEY KNEW - EXACTLY HOW BAD THIS WOULD BECOME.

June 15, 2016

Ryan: He [visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman] has this really interesting riff about... people have said that they have Ukraine fatigue, and it's really Russian fatigue because what Russia is doing to us, financing our populists...
1/

Ryan cont'd: ...financing people in our governments to undo our governments, you know, messing with our oil and gas energy, all things Russia does to basically blow up our country, they're just going to roll right through us and go to the Baltics and everyone else.
2/

Rodgers: Yes!

Ryan: So we should not have Ukraine fatigue, we should have Russian fatigue.

Rodgers: Yes! The propaganda...my big takeaway from that trip was just how sophisticated the propaganda...

Ryan: It's very sophisticated.

Rodgers: Coming out of Russia and Putin.
3/

Ryan: Very sophisticated.

Rodgers: Not just in Ukraine. They were once funding the NGOs in Europe. They attacked fracking.

Ryan: Correct.

Rodgers: Russia TV. I was not... you know..I hadn't tuned into Russia TV until that trip. It's FRIGHTENING.
4/

Ryan: This is, this isn't just about Ukraine.

Rodgers: So, yeah, it is a, um... a way...it's really a messaging...you know...they are..it's a PROPAGANDA WAR.

5/

Ryan: Russia is trying to turn Ukraine against itself.

Rodgers: Yes. And that's...it's sophisticated and it's, uh...

Ryan: Maniacal.

Rodgers: Yes.

6/

Ryan: And guess...guess who's the only one taking a strong stand up against it? We are.

Rodgers: We're not...we're not, but we're not...

7/

McCarthy: [unintelligible]...I'll GUARANTEE you that's what it is. The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp research that they had on Trump.

McCarthy: laughs

8/

McCarthy: There's... there's two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump

[laughter]

Swear to God.

9/

Ryan: This is an off the record...

...[laughter]...NO LEAKS...

...[laughter]...Alright?!

[Laughter]

10/

Ryan: This is how we know we're a real family here.

Scalise: That's how you know that we're tight.

[Laughter]

Ryan: What's said in the family stays in the family.

11/

Ryan: The Russians hacked the DNC...

McHenry: ...to get oppo...

Ryan: ...on Trump and like delivered it to... to WHO?

12/

Here's the link to the transcripts of this conversation that Ryan and his GOP House cronies had the DAY AFTER it was reported that the Russians had hacked the DNC.

washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/na…

washingtonpost.com/world/national…

My second favorite part. THIS had already happened ⬇️:

Ryan announced on June 2, 2016 - a little over a week before this conversation took place - that he would vote for Trump to help “unite the party so we can win in the fall” but continued to clash with the candidate, including over Putin.

Thank you @adamentous & @washingtonpost for the great reporting and cool timeline graphic ⬇️.

Now just drop the audio tape. PLEASE.

/The End

CODA:

Republicans Say Secret Talk About Putin Paying Trump Was Just a Joke

Meanwhile, 18 previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia have been uncovered.

vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/r…