CNN’s Bianna Golodryga: John Kennedy’s Embrace of Ukraine Conspiracy Theory Is ‘Another Victory for Vladimir Putin’

A CNN panel slammed Republican Senator John Kennedy on Monday for continuing to advance the debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, and not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election. Kennedy made the claim during an interview at the weekend when he said nobody really knows who was responsible for hacking the DNC.

“That quote from John Kennedy of Louisiana is stunning. Stunning,” said John Berman, hos of CNN’s New Day. “He went to Oxford. He knows what the intelligence community says. He knows it was Russia that tried to meddle and did, in fact, attack the U.S. election in 2016.”

Berman was joined by CNN’s Michael Smerconish and Biann Golodryga, who discussed Kennedy’s embrace of the Ukraine interference conspiracy theory.

“He knows what the facts are,” Berman said. “And he knows what Vladimir Putin wants is for him to say maybe it was Ukraine.”

Smerconish argued that while Republicans probably believed the conclusions of the intelligence community, they were arguing in defense of President Donald Trump.

“And that also shows once again another victory for Vladimir Putin just to sow chaos and distrust,” CNN analyst Bianna Golodryga said.

“The fact you say point blank everybody knows better,” Golodryga said.

“Everybody knows. All of these Republican congressmen and senators who sit here and say ‘I don’t know,’ they do know that Russia was behind this, and it’s a huge disservice they’re doing for their constituents and this country.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.