Tom Steyer on Russia: Why Is Trump Not Protecting the American People?
Tom Steyer, the California billionaire behind an aggressive campaign demanding the impeachment of President Trump, accused the president of failing to protect the nation following the indictment of 13 Russians for meddling in the 2016 campaign.
“Why is he not protecting the American people?” he asked in an interview on Cheddar Friday, shortly after the indictment was announced. “Why is he allowing a hostile foreign power to attack us? And his response is to weaken sanctions against Russia at the same time?”
“What is he hiding, and why is unwilling to protect our democracy and the safety of the American people?”
Steyer’s comments come after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for meddling in U.S. elections.
The charges, which include conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire and bank fraud, and identity theft, are the first to be brought in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The indictments claim infractions started back in 2014 and don’t suggest the 2016 presidential campaign was affected.
According to the indictment, the Russians ran a well-funded effort to sow political discord in the United States in advance of the 2016 election by creating hundreds of fake social media accounts that were supportive of Trump and critical of Hillary Clinton.
Trump, was briefed on the indictment Friday morning, took to Twitter Friday afternoon to point out there were no findings that his campaign did anything wrong.
But Steyer, who has funneled more than $20 million into an impeachment campaign against the president, says that the commander-in-chief had to be aware of Russia’s role in the election and yet has not taken action against previous or future “hostile attacks.”
“When the head of the FBI was asked two days ago whether they expected the Russians to hack us in 2018, he said ‘Yes, the Russians’ 2016 [attack] was a big success and they were going to continue it and expand it in 2018,’” Steyer said. “When he was asked if the president had ordered him to do anything to protect us against that he said, ‘No, not specifically.’”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/meet-the-billionaire-backing-impeachment).
President Maxx Fenning and Vice President CJ Walden of PRISM, a Florida non-profit providing resources for LGBTQ youth, joined Cheddar News to discuss the negative repercussions of a Florida bill banning discussions of sexuality and gender identity in some classrooms.
President Joe Biden announced Friday that along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, the U.S. will revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The consumer price index jumped 7.9 percent in February, marking a 40-year high for inflation in the U.S. This report comes less than a week ahead of the Fed's all important meeting. Kayla Bruun, Economic Analyst, Morning Consult, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Markets opened lower amid hotter-than-expected inflation data, which surged to its highest level in nearly 40 years. Lisa Erickson, Senior Vice President and Co-Head, Public Markets Group, U.S. Bank joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the significance of this figure ahead of the Federal Reserve's FOMC meeting.
As the Russia-Ukraine war disrupts the global economy, sending markets on a roller coaster ride, gold remains hovering around $2,000 an ounce. Often seen as a safe haven in times of economic crisis, Jason Cozens, founder and CEO of gold-as-currency platform Glint Pay, joined Cheddar’s Opening Bell to discuss the latest gold rush, how the war is impacting prices, and how people can use Glint to trade in the precious metal. “You know the stock markets and cryptocurrencies are risky investments," he stated. "Whereas gold is just reliable money. It's no one else's liability if you own."
As Western sanctions weigh on Russia's economy, the country is at the risk of defaulting on its debt. Fitch ratings agency has downgraded Russia's debt for the second time in a week, warning a "sovereign default is imminent." Jesse Wheeler, Economic Analyst at Morning Consult, explains what that means, and how it could have ripple effects across the global economy.
Uber Lyft and Doordash are all set to spend $1 million dollars on a campaign and efforts to stop lawmakers from classifying their gig workers as employees. The campaign features TV and online ads highlighting Washington area workers who say they prefer the flexibility of being an independent contractor rather than following the model of a company employee. Professor at NYU. Stern School of Business and author of the sharing economy, Arun Sundararajan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
