If it were up to Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), the media would start taking its cues from Russian hackers.
The Republican congressman appeared on MSNBC with Hallie Jackson on Thursday to deny that Russia hacked into U.S. government servers in an attempt to tip the election for Donald Trump, despite the fact that both the FBI and CIA agree it happened.
“There’s no suggestion that Russia hacked into our voting systems or anything like that,” Franks said Thursday. “If Russia succeeded in giving the American people information that was accurate, then they merely did what the media should’ve done.”
Franks’ comments echo similar sentiments voiced by President-elect Trump, who has called the intelligence community’s reports “ridiculous.”
“I don’t believe they interfered. That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say ‘oh, Russia interfered,’” he told Time magazine earlier this month. “It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey.”
Trump said Wednesday that it was “time to move on” from the Russian hacking investigation altogether.
But President Barack Obama is taking the mounting evidence brought against Russia seriously. He sanctioned Russian officials Thursday over the election meddling, which involved hacking into and leaking emails from Democratic operatives.
“All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” the president said in a statement.
That is, unless you’re a member of the media ― in which case you should start taking notes, according to Franks.