Political Quotes

“Let me continue. The most recent example is a letter and classified addendum created by senior Democratic leaders that accused Senator Grassley and me of relying on foreign disinformation. This ``intelligence product,'' which was full of false allegations, was produced, classified, and then leaked to the press more than a week before Senator Grassley or I were given access to it. Many in the media dutifully reported this hot tip. Democrats then used those media reports to repeat, distort, and embellish the false charges. This coordinated smear--and that is what you have to call it. It is a coordinated smear which continues today on the floor of the Senate--culminated in an August 7 opinion piece in the Washington Post submitted by Senator Richard Blumenthal. But John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence, wrote: I can confirm the IC did not create the classified addendum to the 13 July letter, nor did we authorize its [release]. The foreign information we were falsely accused of receiving--we have a misprint here. The foreign information we were falsely accused of receiving utilized--purportedly comes from a Ukrainian named Andriy Derkach, who has since been sanctioned by the Treasury Department. Although neither Senator Grassley nor I ever sought, received, or used any information from Mr. Derkach, the media has continued to report otherwise for weeks, despite our repeated and unequivocal denials. But it is true that a chart produced by Mr.…”