-- Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says the Kremlin is the real beneficiary from the House Intelligence Committee investigation: 

"Trump already seems to many Russian observers as a weak president, incapable of delivering on his pro-Russian campaign pledges. But the spectacle of the ... hearing on Russia must have given the Kremlin renewed inspiration about achieving another foreign policy goal: weakening the United States. In the Trump era, our society is deeply divided, even on the Russian threat. That serves Russia’s purposes well. Even more amazing is how the United States’ current ruling party, the Republican Party, (mostly)  does not want to acknowledge the Russian attack on our sovereignty last year, let alone take steps to prevent future assaults in 2018 or 2020. Putin violated our sovereignty, influenced our elections, smugly dared us to respond and now gets to watch us do nothing because of partisan divides. Imagine hearings after Pearl Harbor or 9/11 that barely mentioned the attackers? Without question, Putin was the big winner from last Monday’s hearing.”