The so-called Nunes memo may have been a dud as far as facts and truth are concerned but Trump lickspittles probably could not be happier with the results. If anything, their efforts to undermine our institutions and democracy are ramping up in order to finger Hillary Clinton, Democrats and the Obama State Department as the “real” Russia colluders.
While MSNBC host Rachel Maddow scoffed at the Nunes memo, Donald Trump’s base has lapped up the propaganda. A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that 79 percent of those Trump voters who have heard of the memo think it shows that the FBI did something wrong. 59 percent of Trump voters strongly disapprove of the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation and 20 percent more somewhat disapprove.
This seems to have emboldened an already-cocky Sean Hannity. In addition to his usual Trump toadies Sara Carter and Gregg Jarrett who serve as Hannity's Groundhog Day-like “experts” night after night (yet appear almost nowhere else on Fox as such), Hannity made room for a double session with Rep. Devin Nunes, himself, the Trump toady chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
Hannity and Nunes are licking their chops over their next scalps. In his monologue last night, Hannity began salivating over Clinton:
HANNITY: In addition to Hillary Clinton buying and paying a bought and paid for 12+ million dollar phony, fake news Russian propaganda dossier to influence the election. If that’s not bad enough, you have now Clinton associates and the Obama State Department funneling allegations for a second dossier to Christopher Steele.
Nunes, however, more explicitly placed a target on Clinton and Democrats:
NUNES: We have an active investigation into the State Department. That has been ongoing for a while now. As soon as we can get that information out, we will as the investigation unfolds.
[…]
I mean look, there is clear evidence of collusion that the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign colluded with the Russians. You don’t get to hire lawyers and pretend like that didn’t happen. It goes to what they accuse you of is what they actually were doing.
Hannity, of course, at it up:
HANNITY: Unbelievable. All right sir thank you so much, we appreciate it.
This is nothing to scoff at. It’s dangerous and it’s getting worse.
Watch Hannity’s monologue and his two-part interview with Nunes below, from the February 5, 2018 Hannity.
I don’t think this tactic is working in terms of affecting the actual Mueller investigation, however. Yet. We’ll have to see after he indicts Trump Jr and Kushner – my instincts say that Trump will completely lose control when that happens and we’ll have a much more serious problem.
As for an investigation of the Clintons and their Foundation and the emails, etc., that’s been on the Pence White House’s agenda since the campaign. And they haven’t forgotten their pledge to “Lock Her Up”. Once the Trump kids are indicted, I’d expect to see a perp walk of the Clintons within a week or two.