CNN panel erupts after Republican guest claims Russian interference is no big deal

By Erin Corbett

A Monday night Don Lemon panel got heated over the continued questions over whether or not Russia tampered with the US 2016 presidential election.

Republican Betsy McCaughey started by saying it is “shameful” that the Democratic party is attempting “to taint, to smear Devin Nunes … who has done something very import for this country, not just for the Trump administration or the Republican party,” in his push to apparently unmask the Washington establishment’s efforts to “undermine the effectiveness of the Trump administration.”

Lemon asked her, “You have no problem with him going to the White House first ahead of his committee?”

CNN Political Commentator, Alice Stewart pointed out that in his position, Nunes’ role “first and foremost is to notify your colleagues in your committee, Democrats and Republicans.” Lemon clarified this is “because the evidence doesn’t change no matter who you take it to.”

Ana Navarro noted that Nunes “actually apologized to his colleagues in the committee for having sidestepped them and gone instead to President Trump. Perception matters with this, and it matters because we’re talking about something that is the pillar of our democracy.”

She argued, “if I were a Trump supporter — which clearly I’m not, America, as you well know — I would want an investigation above the board in every aspect so they can finally get this monkey off their back.

Navarro explained that it’s time for Republicans to question whether Nunes’ is able to conduct “a full and fair investigation because Americans watching this are going to wonder if Republicans, who are in charge, are capable of doing this and if they’re not, they’re going to take it out in the ballot box.”

She added that Americans might not necessarily take it out on Nunes, “but certainly against some Republicans in very marginal, tight district races.”

She later went head to head with McCaughey, who claimed that foreign governments attempting to influence US public opinion in an election is nothing new, and that there’s a distinction between “tampering with an election” and “interfering with public opinion.”

The latter is fine, according to McCaughey and somehow is different than tampering with the results.

She argued that releasing the emails of the Clinton campaign was not tampering with the election results because it wasn’t messing directly with ballot boxes.

Lemon cut in, “How does that have nothing to do with tampering with the election?”

Watch the full clip below.