Senate Intelligence Committee Investigates Jill Stein for Potential Russian Collusion
The Green Party candidate attended a 2015 dinner in Moscow alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Photo via Matt Johnson/Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump isn’t the only 2016 presidential candidate under the microscope for ties to the Russian government.
Lexington’s Jill Stein, who twice lost the race for Massachusetts governor, is being probed by the Senate Intelligence Committee for potential collusion, according to the Washington Post. In 2015, the Post reports, the Green Party candidate attended a dinner in Moscow that also included Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia on December 1. Stein, Flynn, and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat at the same table at the dinner, which was hosted by RT, a state-run Russian news network, according to BuzzFeed News. Additionally, Politico reported that at least one Facebook ad bought by the Republican government benefitted Stein in the 2016 election.
Stein said in a statement that she is complying with the Senate Intelligence Committee’s requests and her “campaign has observed the highest standards of transparency and integrity.” She further upheld her appearance in Moscow, saying in the statement that she was not reimbursed or paid for the trip and aimed to share a message of peace with the dinner attendees.
Further, Stein warned against allowing the inquiry to become a frenzy and advocated for a contextual understanding of her interactions with Russian actors.
“In the current climate,” Stein said in a statement, “we must guard against the potential for these investigations to be used to intimidate and silence principled opposition to the political establishment.”
During the 2016 election, Stein received less than 1.5 million votes, earning her the ire of many Democrats who blame her for harming Hillary Clinton’s chances in Wisconsin and Michigan, in particular, but no representation in the electoral college.
Stein’s electoral history is not triumphant. In 2002, she finished third in the governor’s race; in 2004, she lost a bid for state House of Representatives; in 2006, she failed to become the Secretary of the Commonwealth; in 2010, she again lost the governor’s race; and in 2012 and 2016, she did not become president of the United States.
