Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, says he believes the Democratic National Convention hack during the 2016 presidential election may have been an "insider job." How does he know? "Stuff circulating on the internet."
Farenthold was a guest on CNN Wednesday morning to discuss the Trump-Russia investigation in light of the testimony by former CIA Director John Brennan to Congress Tuesday. Even though Brennan said that he was "concerned" about contact between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, and had "unresolved questions" about this communication, Farenthold said Brennan's definitive answer about whether such collusion had occurred, "several times, was no there was not."
CNN hosts John Berman and Poppy Harlow quoted Brennan's testimony, to which Farenthold responded, "there you go taking the worst possible spin."
"My takeaway from it was that there really wasn't evidence of anything improper," Farenthold, who is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, continued.
But barely a minute later, Farenthold said the investigations into Trump and Russia are deflecting from other things more worthy of probe. "There's still some question as to whether the intrusion at the DNC server was an insider job or whether or not it was the Russians," he said.
Berman could not let him continue. "I'm sorry," he repeated and in disbelief, "The insider job — what are you referring to here? Because I hope it's not this information that Fox News just refused to be reported?"
"There's stuff circulating on the internet," Farenthold said.
"My overall point is this needs to be fully investigated, let the professionals investigate it, let's not try it in the media, which is serving from a distraction for what needs to be done in this country," Farenthold continued. "Instead, we're hearing a barrage of anti-Trump—I'm going to call it propaganda."
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