Fiona Hill Undercuts Another GOP Defense

Former National Security Council official Fiona Hill will say in her opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee this morning that some lawmakers appear to believe Ukraine, not Russia, sought to interfere in 2016 election: “This is a fictional narrative.”

Says Hill: “I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine—not Russia—attacked us in 2016. These fictions are harmful even if they are deployed for purely domestic political purposes. President Putin and the Russian security services operate like a Super PAC. They deploy millions of dollars to weaponize our own political opposition research and false narratives. When we are consumed by partisan rancor, we cannot combat these external forces as they seek to divide us against each another, degrade our institutions, and destroy the faith of the American people in our democracy.”

Politico: “She could also prove to be a colorful witness. During her closed-door testimony last month, she fought back when some Republicans sought to turn the conversation to allegations of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Hill rejected the assertion and said evidence that some low-level bureaucrats got involved was being weaponized to distract from Russia’s massive interference operation, approved by Vladimir Putin and carried out by Russian intelligence services.”