U.S. Representative for New York’s 2nd Congressional District Peter King was spot on with his mid-December assessment of the ongoing ‘Russian hacking’ claims, which King feels lack merit and have been used as a concerted effort to smear President-elect Donald J. Trump.

King stated on The Kelly File mid-month how these claims violate “all protocols […] almost as if people in the intelligence community are carrying out a disinformation campaign against the president elect of the United States.”

On the program King also stated that “it’s the intelligence community” that’s doing this, they are the ones “causing disunity,” not the Russians.

“There is no consensus opinion, and yet we find it in the New York Times and the Washington Post and yet the House Committee on Intelligence was told nothing about this,” said King.

Now, in what can only be described as an all out push toward a new war with Russia, warmongers and Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham are invoking very dangerous rhetoric publicly by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “thug and a bully” on CNN Tuesday.

Sen. Graham told CNN that he had been “briefed by the FBI” and said that “there’s no doubt” in his mind that the “Russia hacked into our political systems […] Podesta’s email at the DNC” and even Graham’s own “campaign account.”

Graham told CNN that “the FBI and the CIA and the Director of National Intelligence are all saying the same thing — that the Russians are trying to influence our elections.”

“Overwhelming evidence” will be presented to President-elect Trump on the Russian hacking saga which will likely result in Trump “changing his view,” McCain said.

“But on the issue of the Russians, there is no doubt about it and we have to act and we have to have a policy […] and a strategy.”

‘We have to address this threat to our national security.’

“If they are able to undermine an election they’re able then to undermine democracy.”

Then, inciting the push, Sen. Graham told CNN, “There are a hundred U.S. senators [and] ninety-nine of us believe the Russians did this and we’re going to do something about it, along with Senator McCain.”

“We’re going to put sanctions together and hit Putin as an individual and his inner circle for interfering in our election,” said Sen. Graham before carrying on to insinuate that the Russians are “doing it all over the world.”

Sen. Graham told CNN that has intel that the Russians are conducting a “massive military buildup […] in the western district of Russia along the Balkans border and Poland” and that the Russians “are absolutely increasing their military capability in this region.”

Graham also said that he and Sen. McCain will “advise the President-elect, when he becomes president, to continually keep U.S. troops in the region — partnering with, training, advising, assisting, exercising, with our Balkan partners to reassure them of our commitment.”

“[…] it is patently obvious that Vladimir Putin is increasing his nuclear arsenal. He is violating agreements that he has made regarding certain types of nuclear weapons and we need to have a strong nuclear weapon inventory,” McCain said sternly.

Graham then added, “Most of us believe that Russia is up to no good all over the world. They’re trying to break the back of democracies and if we don’t push back against Putin, Iran and China they could hack into our systems. Today it’s Democrats, tomorrow it could be Republicans.”

“We need to show any nation what happens to them if they try to interfere with our democratic process.”

Shortly after, Sen. McCain expressed his “concerns” over Trump’s Secretary of State Nominee Rex Tillerson who McCain said has “ties to Putin.”

Shepard Ambellas is an opinion journalist and the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News & Politics (Intellihub.com). Shepard is also known for producing Shade: The Motion Picture (2013) and appearing on Travel Channel’s America Declassified (2013). Read more from Shep’s World. Get the Podcast. Follow Shep on Facebook and Twitter.

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