Not a Coincidence

Last night, Rep. Maxine Waters visited All In with Chris Hayes, to talk about Donald Trump, his administration, and their ties to Russia, and she showed once again that she is an incredibly effective messenger for the Democrats (and for We the People) on this issue. In three minutes, she made a concise, devastating case against Trump and his "Kremlin Clan." This is how it's done.

CHRIS HAYES: Joining me now Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California, and Congresswoman, I thought of you today for this reason—I want to play your reaction, January thirteenth, when you were briefed by James Comey in a classified briefing. Members of Congress walked out, yourself among them, flabbergasted, frustrated, upset. This was your reaction to that briefing; take a look.

[Cut to video of Waters at a podium. A female reporter offscreen asks her: "Can you tell us anything about the discussion in the briefing?" Waters responds: "No, it's classified, and we can't tell you anything. All I can tell you is: The FBI director has no credibility." She makes a stink-face, gestures dismissively, and abruptly departs. "That's it!" she exclaims as she walks away.]

HAYES (back in studio): I thought of you, because I read the Times story last night, and I thought, "Is that what she was talking about?"

WATERS: Well, ahh, let me just say I've been talking a lot about President Trump, and I've been talking about all of his allies. I've come to conclude that Trump has the Kremlin Clan surrounding him, and have been involved with him for a long time—and you named some of them this evening—starting with Flynn, of course, who just got caught in a lie, because he was on a telephone conversation with the Russian ambassador and he did talk about sanctions.

And of course there's Manafort, who was his campaign manager, and who certainly had a consultant agreement with the past president of the Ukraine, who was an ally of Putin's and controlled by Putin.

And then you go on further, and you take a look at Roger Stone. Roger Stone didn't tell you in this interview [Hayes had interviewed Stone right before Waters] that he did business in the Ukraine, and what you have to ask him is: Oh, were you tied into the former president, who is an ally of Putin, who was controlled by Putin?

And then of course there's Tillerson. Tillerson, who is now the Secretary of State, had a multi-billion dollar deal with Putin and the Kremlin to drill in the Arctic. And guess what? It was stopped dead in its tracks because of the sanctions. And so his major job, in my estimation, is to help get those sanctions lifted from Russia, so that they can proceed with this oil deal.

So whether we're talking about any of them, or Wilbur Ross, or Carter Page, these are all people with ties that are documented with Russia and the Kremlin.

And so I have named them: Trump's Kremlin Clan. Because how is it that all of them, with this background and with these connections, end up in the same administration?!

I tell you: There's more to be learned about it. I believe there's been collusion; they were involved in his campaign and we've got to dig; these investigations have got to show the connection and prove that collusion. Because, as for me, I think it leads to impeachment, and I believe that, and that's what I'm paying attention to.

HAYES: All right. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thank you for joining me tonight. I appreciate it.

Emphasis mine. Waters not only makes the case, but asks the question that every member of Congress and every member of the media should be asking: How did all of them end up in the same administration? Are we really meant to believe that's a coincidence?

It's all just a big coincidence that a bunch of white men with ties to Russia ended up in the White House together after Russia interfered in the election, huh?

Rep. Maxine Waters ain't buying it. And neither am I.