One of the most fascinating things about the Russia Hoax has been the extent to which those with fancy titles and decades of Russia subject matter expertise fell for it, and became some of the most enthusiastic consumers of bullshit.
Never mind the politicians—those who we were assured were “the serious people” at think tanks, congressional committee staffs, jaded reporters, etc.—were really shown to be less than professional analysts.
They hated Putin; they hated Trump. Apparently, any theory that hinged on those two beliefs was indulged. And then indulged some more. Nobody stopped to question the initial “facts” upon which the narrative was built.