Kellyanne Conway talked about the ongoing effects of the Russian investigation on American politics during a segment on Fox Business on Thursday.

On Friday, National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard presented evidence suggesting that former President Barack Obama and his national security team “manufactured and politicized” intelligence following President Donald Trump’s win in 2016. Discussing this on “Kudlow,” Conway outlined why the nation struggles to move on from the Russiagate issue.

“It’s significant for politics because people might say, ‘That was ages ago, right?'” Conway remarked. “We spent $40 million in taxpayer money on the Mueller probe, and major networks, including two cable channels, devoted 2,000 minutes to coverage.”

She went on to highlight the media’s intense fixation on the idea of Russian collusion, implying it supported the narrative that Trump’s 2016 victory was compromised.

“They even had a whole division dedicated to the Russian conspiracy theory. It’s crucial for people to look at two things: the timeline and who was involved. What does the timeline look like?”

Conway noted that members of the political and intelligence communities were caught off guard by Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton, which led to a cascade of missteps from his administration. She emphasized that the real drama unfolded behind the scenes within key agencies like the CIA, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“They didn’t think Trump needed to be contained until he actually won. They really didn’t expect Clinton to lose, or Trump to win,” she added. “Almost immediately, they kicked into high gear, but no one was scrutinizing the Oval Office, the CIA, the FBI, or ODNI from behind the curtain, where real action took place. I delved into this in my book three years back.”

Conway acknowledged some individuals in intelligence, particularly former CIA director John Brennan, for pushing against certain agents within the agency who were keen to promote the Russian conspiracy narrative.

“We figured: Clapper is in deep trouble. He made a commitment. I’m not siding with him. Brennan is in a tough spot too. Comey is in trouble as well. Brennan has had to counter some of his personnel who have been overzealous with their claims,” she pointed out. “What Director Gabbard has unveiled is that there were four or five sources he relied upon. Christopher Steele was considered the most credible. Can you believe that?”

Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, has frequently been cited by CNN, MSNBC, and other mainstream outlets regarding unsubstantiated claims suggesting Russian interference resulted in Clinton’s electoral defeat in 2016. On May 15, 2023, Special Advisor John Durham released a finding indicating that the FBI “did not and could not support” the claims made.

These documents were vital for obtaining warrants to surveil Trump associates such as Carter Page, but have since been called into question. During a trial in October 2022, FBI analyst Brian Orton testified that the FBI had offered Steele $1 million to verify the allegations, but he failed to produce evidence.

In 2022, the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee faced fines from the Federal Election Commission for promoting dubious documents central to the conspiracy claims. Officials raised doubts about the assertions made by then-CIA director Brennan concerning Russia’s motivations in the 2016 election, especially regarding allegations that Russia aimed to support Trump’s candidacy.