"How to they explain this stuff? Why is all this happening?" Rachel Maddow appeared genuinely befuddled. "What has Russia done to deserve getting out of the sanctions our country put on them?"
Maddow reminded viewers that the reason Russian sanctions were enacted was because Russia had unilaterally annexed land in the sovereign state of Crimea. She asked why the U.S. is making so many concessions to the Russian president when he is providing "nothing" in return. The MSNBC host cited polls that show that 67 percent of Donald Trump's supporters hold an unfavorable view of Vladimir Putin and predicted that recent moves will come with a political price for the president.
"So why are they doing it?"
Rachel Maddow reported that investigations into Russian meddling are and will continue to be conducted, but that how thorough and effective they will be under a Trump administration remains to be seen. The host held up recent information coming out of Russia jibing with intelligence reports produced under the administration of former President Barack Obama, despite denials of involvement in U.S. affairs by the Russian government.
She opined that if Russian really had nothing to do with any of the incidents reported by the U.S. intelligence community that arrests shouldn't be happening in Russia and that instead, there should be no response at all. Maddow explained that if anything reported by the United States about Russian operations was true, then a response from the Russian government would be expected, which is what appears to be being reported now. Russian officials would be intent on learning how any factual information about the nation's intelligence operations made its way into U.S. hands, likely arresting those responsible, which is what appears to be being reported now.
"Who leaked it? Who knew what the Russian government was doing?" Maddow imagined the questions being asked by Russian officials.
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