The Democrats’ infatuation with Russiagate – while ignoring the Republican “wrecking ball” destroying US society – illustrates the blindness of the party’s elite, renowned linguist and political thinker Noam Chomsky has said.

Noting that the Democratic Party is “bent on revenge for their 2016 failure,” Chomsky told Truthout in an interview that “the bankruptcy of the Democrat elite is well-illustrated by the obsession with alleged Russian meddling with our sacred elections” – adding that allegations of Moscow’s meddling had amounted to “apparently very little.”

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He also dismissed European paranoia about nefarious Russian influence in their elections, noting how it was absurd to accuse Moscow of playing a part in parliamentary gains made by right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) during the 2017 German elections.

“It turns out that there was indeed foreign meddling, but not from Russia,” Chomsky said. “AfD hired a Texas media firm [Harris Media] known for support of right-wing nationalist candidates [Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Benjamin Netanyahu]. The firm enlisted the cooperation of the Berlin office of Facebook, which provided it with detailed information about potential voters for use in microtargeting those who might be receptive to AfD’s message.”

Highlighting the absurdity of Washington’s pearl-clutching hysteria over alleged Russian election meddling, Chomsky pointed out that the United States itself “subverts and sometimes overthrows governments it doesn’t like. Horrifying consequences abound, to the present, from Central America to the Middle East.”

According to Chomsky, the Democrats’ obsession with Russiagate is all the more appalling because it has taken precedence over combating “Trump’s severe assault against the common good.” The Democratic Party’s continued inability to overcome its “deep internal problems” will allow the “Republican wrecking ball [to swing] away at the foundations of a decent society, and at the prospects for survival, for a long time,” the famous academic said.

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Chomsky described the administration’s immigration policy as “grotesque” and “revolting,” so much so that “even many of those who foster and exploit xenophobia are running for cover” – including Trump himself.

The MIT professor also raised concern about Trump’s authoritarian leanings, noting how the US president praised Kim Jong-un as a strong leader whose people “sit up at attention” when he speaks. Trump later joked that he wanted the American people to do the same for him, but Chomsky seemed unconvinced the comment was in jest. “He said he was kidding. Maybe. I hope we don’t have an opportunity to find out.”

Although Chomsky argued that Trump may have oversold his summit with the North Korean leader, he gave credit where credit is due, noting that the US president has distinguished himself from past US leaders by not trying to derail reconciliation between North and South.

“It is to Trump’s credit that he did not undermine these efforts, and in fact made a move toward facilitating them by cancelling the US-South Korean war games, which, as he correctly said, are ‘very provocative’,” Chomsky said.

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