Fact Checking Claims About GOP Senators Being ‘Loyal’ To Putin

A viral tweet claims to show a Russian TV show noting eight American politicians as being particularly “loyal” to Vladimir Putin.

All eight are Republican senators—Sens. Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, John Cornyn, Richard Burr, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, and John Thune. But the context for the image is incorrect; it is, first of all, not from a recent newscast.  The graphic depicting the senators is from a 2019 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show—the NBC logo can even be seen in the lower right hand corner—about the then-recent lifting of sanctions...