When it rains, it pours. As word comes out that the Mueller investigation may go on for another year, the Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly looking into whether 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein colluded with the Russian government.
Republican North Carolina Sen. [score]Richard Burr[/score] said the committee was opening up investigations into “two other campaigns” in addition to the current one about any alleged ties between President Donald Trump and the Russian government.
Stein attended a 2015 dinner in Moscow and was photographed sitting at the same table as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was also at the same table, seated next to Putin.
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Politico reported in September that Stein also benefited from Facebook political advertisements purchased by Russian accounts.
Stein responded to the expanded investigation with the following statement defending her participation at the dinner:
Our communications with Russian individuals regarding an invitation to speak on international relations at the RT 10th anniversary media conference will confirm what we stated publicly at that time and since: that we did not accept any payment or even reimbursement for the trip.
The 2016 election was a relative success for Stein. Although she finished fourth, she received over 1,457,216 votes — the greatest showing by a Green Party candidate.
This report, by Joe Simonson, was cross posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
