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Coons on Russia Investigation: 'I Think It's Getting Closer' to Proving Collusion

Dem senator on Russian meddling: 'Hard to say that this didn't affect the outcome'

February 18, 2018

Sen. Christopher Coons (D., Del.) said Sunday of the Russia investigation that "I think it's getting closer" to proving collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and the Russians, adding it was hard not to say Kremlin meddling efforts affected the election's outcome.

Coons appeared on "Face The Nation" in the wake of Friday's announcement that special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals on various charges related to illegal "information warfare" tactics meant to disrupt the 2016 U.S. election.

While the White House noted that no Americans were implicated in the charges and Trump said it proved there was "no collusion," Coons said it neither proved nor disproved collusion.

Coons pointed to the meeting on June 9, 2016, between Donald Trump Jr. and other senior campaign officials and Russians claiming to have dirt on Hillary Clinton.

"That hasn't yet been proven that there might have been collusion, but I think it's getting closer," Coons said.

CBS host Nancy Cordes asked Coons what the chances were Russian meddling efforts affected the race's outcome.

"In a race that was this close, where moving ... 150,000 votes in three states one way or the other could have changed the outcome, it's hard to say that this didn't affect the outcome," Coons said. "It was an exceptionally close election ... It's not yet clear whether the Russians succeeded in actually changing votes."