Yes very justified as BOTH Mueller and also Marco Rubio's Senate Intelligence found.
The
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), which was led by Acting Chairman
Marco Rubio
during the release of its final volume in August 2020, concluded that
the Russian government engaged in an "aggressive, multi-faceted effort" to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence | (.gov) +1
Key findings from the committee's five-volume bipartisan report include:
Russian Meddling & Strategy
- Direct Interference: The committee found extensive, "irrefutable" Russian efforts to sabotage the election, denigrate Hillary Clinton, and aid Donald Trump.
- Infrastructure & Social Media: Russian intelligence targeted election infrastructure across all 50 states (though no votes were changed) and used the IRA for social media warfare that specifically targeted African-Americans.
- WikiLeaks: The report determined that WikiLeaks played a key role in this campaign and likely knowingly assisted Russian intelligence.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence | (.gov) +4
Trump Campaign Contacts
- High-Level Contacts: The report highlighted extensive, "breathtaking" contact between the Trump campaign and Russian agents. Key findings included Paul Manafort sharing polling data with suspected intelligence officer Konstantin Kilimnik, which was labeled a "grave counterintelligence threat".
- Differing Conclusions: While acknowledging "willing" coordination with Russian actors, the bipartisan committee differed on the interpretation of "collusion." Republican leadership maintained there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy, while Democratic members concluded the campaign "welcomed" and "cooperated" with Russian efforts.
Wikipedia +3