On Monday, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, flatly refused to discuss with reporters whether his committee’s investigation into whether Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential election corroborated the conspiracy theories of President Donald Trump and his allies:

Look at this remarkable exchange. @SenatorBurr is basically giving the middle finger to the very idea that he might have some kind of obligation, as chair of the Senate Intel Committee, to shed light on a matter that Republicans and Trump are using to mislead the American people: pic.twitter.com/qDqq8k51fa

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 3, 2019

The idea that Ukraine, rather than Russia, was at the heart of election interference in 2016 has been broadly discredited. However, Republicans have attempted to use this narrative to exonerate Trump of accepting help from Russia, and it formed part of the basis of the president’s decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine.

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