Russian state television host Vladimir Solovyov celebrated on camera in a minutes-long monologue after the Durham report was released on Monday.
Solovyov applauded special counsel John Durham’s conclusion that the FBI never should have investigated claims of Russian interference in the 2016 elections while also criticizing America as a “dishonest nation.”
Durham’s report found that the FBI had no evidence of collusion before it launched its Crossfire Hurricane probe into whether former President Donald Trump and Russia conspired to influence the 2016 election. The U.S.-Russia relationship, which took a dip at the time of the allegations, has only worsened since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this week, Durham released a report stating that the FBI should not have launched the investigation into Trump and Russia in a disputed decision that Republicans are deeming proof of errors and corruption at the FBI.
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“Turns out Russians were again telling the truth,” Solovyov said. “For all of these years, America has been lying. Turns out a separate investigation was required in order to say ‘sorry, guys.'”
Solovyov went on to say America is “a civilization built on lies and a totally phony community.”
Just before Trump took office, in late December 2016, then-President Barack Obama’s administration slapped a slew of sanctions on Russian intelligence entities for their alleged interference in the Democratic National Committee. Obama also expelled 35 Russian operatives from the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Russian consulate in San Francisco.
“Now what, guys? Will you return the properties? Will you cancel the sanctions and apologize? Turns out everything the West said about this is a lie,” Solovyov said.
Newsweek reached out to Putin’s press office by email for comment.
After Solovyov’s monologue, contributors to the show spoke about how the Durham report is advantageous for Republicans.
“What Durham has published is the truth,” Andrey Sidorov, dean of the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University, said.
However, Sidorov added that the report won’t have any criminal consequences and that Durham doesn’t provide an example of how to “punish the FBI.”
The discussion then turned to Trump, who has made multiple claims about corruption in the FBI. Solovyov said Trump was verbally attacked for making the claims, but that the Durham report is proof that he had reason to believe the claim.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign by email for comment.
“Everything is a lie from beginning to end,” Solovyov said of the investigation into Russian interference. “How do you know that an American is lying? His lips are moving.”