GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years.


Republican congressmembers have seemingly fallen right into Russia's trap.
As impeachment hearings continued throughout the week, Republicans tried to defend President Trump by incorrectly claiming Ukraine was just as involved in hacking efforts into the 2016 U.S. election as Russia. Impeachment witness Fiona Hill even called them out for this "fictional narrative," and as The New York Times reports, it's a false storyline Russia has been trying to cook up for years.
In recent weeks, U.S. intelligence leaders met with senators and their aides for "a briefing that closely aligned with Dr. Hill's testimony," informing the legislators "Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to essentially frame Ukraine as responsible for Moscow's own hacking of the 2016 election," the Times reports via three American officials. It's true that Ukrainians did engage in some forms of election meddling in 2016, but "they were scattershot efforts" in comparison to Moscow's, the Times continues.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The briefing was held as Republicans formulated their strategy for defending Trump after he was revealed to have asked Ukraine for political favors. And yet it seems its lessons didn't make their way to Republicans in the House, who, during the past two weeks of impeachment hearings, doubled down on unproven claims that Ukraine had a physical server containing the hacked emails of the Democratic National Committee. And as Russian President Vladimir Putin literally said on Wednesday, he couldn't be happier that U.S. leaders are looking in the wrong direction.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
May 26 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's political cartoons feature Donald Trump's red tie, Hunter Biden's crypto lament, and one meaning of Memorial Day
-
3 tips for coping with financial stress
The explainer Feel more at peace in an unpredictable economy
-
Crossword: May 26, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'