The Senate just proved Donald Trump wrong — again — on Russian interference in 2016 – CNN

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is chaired by Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, released its long-awaited 156-page report detailing its investigation into allegations that Russia sought to interfere in the 2016 election.

And what did their investigation find? That Russia engaged in a deep and broad effort to influence the outcome of the 2016 race, aiming to help Donald Trump win. "The Committee found no reason to dispute the Intelligence Community's conclusions," said Burr in a statement on his committee's findings.

Which now means that the following committees and communities have concluded the exact same thing about Russia's attempted interference in the last presidential election:

* The Senate Intelligence Committee

And to be honest, Trump has made his feelings about the proof that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help him very, very clear. He's, um, skeptical.

So, yeah.

Here's the thing that the Senate Intelligence Committee report should drive home for Trump -- and everyone else: it is now entirely and completely beyond dispute that Russia sought to interfere in the last presidential election to help Trump and hurt Clinton.

In order to not believe that, you have to accept that the entire intelligence community, Mueller and his entire team and the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee are ALL in on some sort of elaborate and incredibly well-coordinated scheme to deceive the American public because, uh, they all don't like Trump or something?

It's fanciful. It's a conspiracy theory without even any nuggets of fact.

Why, then, is the President of the United States not convinced? Simple: Because he has never been able to hold these two ideas in his mind at the same time: 1) Russia meddled in the election to help him and 2) He's President anyway.

"That was a clean campaign. I beat Hillary Clinton easily. And, frankly, we beat her -- and I'm not even saying from the standpoint -- we won that race. ... We ran a brilliant campaign, and that's why I'm President."

In Trump's mind, acknowledging the fact -- and yes, it is a fact -- that Russia tried to help him win somehow robs him of the credit for winning that he obviously thinks he so richly deserves. I did this, not Russia, Trump is essentially saying. I get the credit. Not them. Me. Me!

It's, of course, obvious to anyone paying attention that both things can be true: Russia tried to interfere in the election and Trump ran a great race. Elections are very rarely won by a single factor alone. Luck, skill, your strengths, your opponent's weaknesses, uncontrollable outside events -- all of these things go into who wins and who loses. In 2016 and every other election.

Trump's blindness to the Russia reality isn't just a chapter for the history books either. Because we know Russia viewed its involvement in the 2016 race as a success and are hungry to create more chaos this November.

All of which means that the President's unwillingness to accept the FACT that Russia interfered once and they will do it again makes it much more likely that we won't be properly prepared for what's coming over the 195 days between now and November 3.

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The Senate just proved Donald Trump wrong -- again -- on Russian interference in 2016 - CNN