The Serious Side - part 6

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5961205/Newt-Gingrich-says-Trump-mistake-presidency.html

[size=34]Newt Gingrich says Trump made 'the most serious mistake of his presidency' after doubting Russian interference findings in Helsinki[/size]

• 'President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin,' Gingrich posted in a tweet 
  
  
• While taking questions from reporters in Finland on Monday, Trump repeatedly expressed doubts that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election 
  
  
• Trump's comments were made despite numerous indictments made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and opinion of the US intelligence community
  
  
• Gingrich, normally a staunch supporter of Trump, joined other GOP heavyweights in expressing concern over the President's statements in Finland
  
  

By DANIEL ROTH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 23:09 EDT, 16 July 2018 | UPDATED: 00:45 EDT, 17 July 2018

    




President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin,' Newt Gingrich (pictured) said
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich issued a rebuke of Donald Trump on Monday following the President's controversial joint press conference alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
'President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin,' Gingrich posted in a tweet.
'It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately.'

While taking questions from reporters in Finland on Monday, Trump repeatedly expressed doubts that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election despite numerous indictments made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and near unanimous opinion of the US intelligence community.
'I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said in Finland. 


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Gingrich said in a tweet that Trump should clarify his statements casting doubt on the US intelligence community or suffer 'the worst mistake of his presidency'


+3



While taking questions from reporters in Finland on Monday, Trump repeatedly expressed doubts that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election (Pictured right Russian  President Vladimir Putin)

'[Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats came to me and others and said, I think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be,' Trump added.
Gingrich, normally a staunch supporter of Trump, joined other GOP heavyweights in expressing concern over the President's statements. 

Trump's comments were made despite numerous indictments made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller (pictured) and opinion of the US intelligence community
'There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world,' current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said in a statement.
'That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,' he added.
Florida Senator and Trump's one-time primary opponent Marco Rubio said that Trump's remarks were flat out wrong.
'What the president said today is not accurate,' Rubio said. 'The intelligence community has assembled probably an unparalleled amount of evidence.' 
But the harshest critique made by a member of the President's own party was issued by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who called the press conference 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.'
'The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake,' McCain added.       





Gingrich, normally a staunch supporter of Trump, joined other GOP figures like current Speaker Paul Ryan (R) and Florida Senator Marco Rubio (L)


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But the harshest critique made by a member of the President's own party was issued by Senator John McCain (Pictured) 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5961371/World-press-mocks-Donald-Trump-Vladimir-Putin-summit.html

[size=34]How the world's press has mocked Trump for his fawning Putin summit and branded him 'treasonous', 'weak' and an 'autocrat' [/size]

• Media outlets are mocking Donald Trump over his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday
  
  
• Headlines went as far as calling the US President 'treasonous', 'weak' and labeled him an 'autocrat' 
  
  
• Backlash follows Trump's extraordinary embrace of Putin - a longtime US enemy
  
  
• White House has struggled to explain why Trump aligned so closely with Putin 
  
  
• Lawmakers in both major parties appeared shocked with Trump's suggestion that he believes Putin's denial of interfering in the 2016 elections 
  
  

By EMILY CRANE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:36 EDT, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 02:45 EDT, 17 July 2018

    




Media outlets worldwide are mocking Donald Trump over his fawning summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin as the US President continues to face scathing criticism in his home country on all political sides.
The headlines went as far as calling the US President 'treasonous', 'weak' and labeled him an 'autocrat' following the 45-minute press conference with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki on Monday. 
The UK's Daily Mirror newspaper slammed Trump as being 'Putin's Poodle' and Germany's Handelsblatt outlet called the meeting a 'summit of the autocrats'.
A headline on Spanish newspaper El Mundo read: 'Trump surrenders to Putin after humiliating Europe'. 


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Media outlets worldwide are mocking Donald Trump over his fawning summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday
The front page of Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti simply read: Trump 0 - Putin 1.

French outlet Le Monde ran multiple headlines saying Trump's 'weakness in front of Putin' scandalized the Republicans and also said that Putin dominated the Helsinki match against Trump.
Back in Trump's hometown, the New York Daily News hammered him by implying that his refusal to condemn Putin was 'treason'. 
The cover features a cartoon of Trump holding a shirtless Putin's hand as the US president shoots Uncle Sam on 5th Avenue in New York. It was a reference to Trump's claim back in 2016 that he could shoot someone 'in the middle of 5th Avenue' and still not lose supporters.  
The backlash follows Trump's extraordinary embrace of a longtime US enemy by openly questioning his own intelligence agencies' firm finding that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election to his benefit.


+9


The headlines went as far as calling the US President 'treasonous', 'weak' and labeled him an 'autocrat' following the 45-minute press conference with his Russian counterpart


+9


Back in Trump's hometown, the New York Daily News hammered him by implying that his refusal to condemn Putin was 'treason'


+9


Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper called the meeting with Trump and Putin a 'summit of the autocrats'


+9


The front page of Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti simply read: Trump 0 - Putin 1.
The White House has struggled to explain why Trump aligned so closely with Putin, and lawmakers in both major parties appeared shocked and dismayed with his suggestion that he believes Putin's denial of interfering in the 2016 elections.  
Trump's decision to side with Putin left a wake of confusion and outrage in the US.   
Lawmakers in both major parties and former intelligence officials appeared shocked, dismayed and uneasy with Trump's suggestion that he believes Putin's denial of interfering in the 2016 elections. 
It was a remarkable break with US intelligence officials and the Justice Department. And just as alarming for some, Trump also put the two countries on the same footing when casting blame for their strained relations.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory'.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called it 'bizarre', Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called it 'shameful' and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted that it was a 'bad day for the US.'


+9


French outlet Le Monde ran headlines saying Trump's 'weakness in front of Putin' scandalized the Republicans and also said that Putin dominated the Helsinki match against Trump


+9


A headline on Spanish newspaper El Mundo read: 'Trump surrenders to Putin after humiliating Europe'


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Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant ran with: Disgust and horror in Washington about Trump's statements
'This was a very good day for President Putin,' said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He said Trump's refusal to condemn Russian interference in the 2016 election makes the U.S. 'look like a pushover.'
Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, said he's seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people in his earlier career as a CIA officer. But, he tweeted: 'I never would have thought that the US President would become one of the ones getting played by old KGB hands.'

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House Speaker Paul Ryan weighed in to say there's 'no question' that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and 'no moral equivalence' between the US and Russia.
'The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,' Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement. Russia, he said, 'remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.' 
Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki was his first time sharing the international stage with a man he has described as an important US competitor - but whom he has also praised a strong, effective leader.


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The backlash follows Trump's extraordinary embrace of a longtime US enemy by openly questioning his own intelligence agencies' firm finding that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election to his benefit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5961159/He-strong-Trump-gushes-new-friendship-Putin.html

[size=34]'He is very, very strong': Trump gushes to Fox's Hannity over his burgeoning relationship with Putin after the two leaders shocked the world with their Helsinki love-in[/size]

• President Trump said he and Russian President Putin's meeting went 'great'
  
  
• The criticism of Trump's attitude in Helsinki grew as he flew back to America
  
  
• But he was positive about their sit down 
  
  
• He echoed Putin's argument that if the Russians had something on him, it would have come out by now
  
  
• Trump said Putin promised to help him on North Korea
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 22:26 EDT, 16 July 2018 | UPDATED: 02:00 EDT, 17 July 2018

    


President Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'very, very strong' after their press conference that resulted in both Republicans and Democrats expressing concern about his deferential attitude toward his Russian counterpart.
'I thought that President Putting was very, very strong,' Trump told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity.
'I think it was great today,' he said of his afternoon in Helsinki.  


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President Trump praised Vladimir Putin as 'very, very strong' 


+4


Trump said he and Putin's meeting went 'great'
Trump faced swift and sweeping condemnation following his 45-minute press conference.

The White House has struggled to explain why Trump aligned so closely with Putin, and lawmakers in both major parties expressed concern with his suggestion that he believes Putin's denial of interfering in the 2016 elections.
Trump, however, had a positive attitude toward the meeting.
He also echoed Putin's argument that if the Russians had information on him it would have come out.
Putin 'said as strongly as you can say it, they have no information on Trump. It was an interesting statement, too,' Trump said.
'One thing you know if they had it, it would have been out. And so, he said it's nonsense. That's right. And he also said there's absolutely no collusion, which you know,' he added.
The president taped the interview with Hannity in Helsinki shortly after his press conference with Putin.
The criticism of the president grew as he flew back to America. And Trump didn't answer questions about his meeting upon his return to the White House Monday evening. 


Republican Sen. John McCain said in a statement that 'Today's press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.'
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday there was 'no question' that Moscow interfered in the U.S. 2016 election and that President Donald Trump 'must appreciate that Russia is not our ally.' 
At the Helsinki event after their two-hour face-to-face talks, Trump said Putin's denial of meddling in the election was 'very powerful'. 
'I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this. I don't see any reason why it would be,' Trump said, speaking to reporters about Russian election meddling as he stood side-by-side with the man U.S. intelligence says ordered it.
'So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,'
The president did reiterate his concern about global nuclearization and said it's the 'most important' issue to him.
'To me, the most important issue is the nuclear issue, because I know President Obama said global warming is our biggest problem, and I would say that no, it's nuclear warming is our biggest problem by a factor of about five million,' he said. 'The nuclear problem we have to make sure, we have to be very careful. If you look at Russia and the United States, that's 90 percent of the nuclear weapons.'
Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore in June to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, an issue he said Putin promised him help with.
'He also said he wants to be very helpful with North Korea. We're doing well with North Korea, we have time. There's no rush, it has been going on for many years,' he said. 'President Putin is very much in to making that all happen.' 
President Trump also charged President Barack Obama with knowing about FBI agent Peter Strzok's behavior during the time he was texting anti-Trump sentiments to an FBI agent with whom he was having an affair.



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President Trump was criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for his deferential attitude toward Putin


+4


The president did not answer questions from reporters upon his return from Helsinki
'You have to find out who did Peter Strzok report to because it was (former FBI Director James) Comey and it was (former Deputy Director Andrew) McCabe, but it was also probably Obama,' Trump said.
The president has sought to place blame for the Russian interference in the 2016 election on Obama and the Democrats. He has repeatedly decried a 'witch hunt' against him. 
He resumed his criticism of Strzok, who testified before House lawmakers in an opening hearing last week, as a disgrace to the FBI. 
'He's a disgrace to our country. He's a disgrace to the great FBI, a disgrace, and how he's still being paid is beyond belief,' Trump said. 
Strzok is on paid leave from the FBI. He and agent Lisa Page, who testified in closed session to lawmakers on Friday and Monday, were having an affair while they both worked on the investigation into Russia's role in the presidential election.
Their anti-Trump texts have been used by the president and his allies to paint the investigation as tainted.

Putin's poodle lol, so sad but true , Also Putin's B---h fits him as well he is so stupid it is just embarrassing.

"Tee-hee! He let me touch his ball!"

Too funny WAY2!  Well that’s one thing Putin has that Trump doesn’t .... BALLS!  He must be so envious.  

There are mountains of material to use on Trump.  So much to make fun of.  Our late night comedians do it every night.  But ain’t nothing funny about what this idiot fool is doing to our country.  Despite a few former Republicans calling him out yesterday the Trump party is totally invested in this man.  Yesterday’s treasonous comments by Trump should have resulted in some decisive action in Washington but so far I’ve heard nothing.  Can’t wait to hear how the White House is going to spin this.  How many different ways will they contort themselves to lie for Don the Con?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5963487/Trump-defends-Putin-emergency-statement-party-leaders-condemn-him.html

[size=34]Desperate Trump will defend himself on Putin in emergency statement after his own party's most senior figures line up to condemn him[/size]

• As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for comments on election hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit
  
  
• He settled on a favored target for characterizing it as anything less than a success -- the media
  
  
• 'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia,' he said. 
  
  
• He said: 'Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!'
  
  
• At a joint news conference with Vladimir Putin if believed his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin would be lying
  
  

By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 13:06 EDT, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 13:35 EDT, 17 July 2018

    


President Trump will defend his Helsinki summit directly to cameras this afternoon in an effort to blunt criticism of a press conference with Vladimir Putin in which he left the Russian president off the hook for election interference.
The White House said in a lunchtime announcement that a 2 pm meeting with Members of Congress that had been closed to press would be opened up so that the president could make remarks on his trip to Finland. 
Trump has been raked over the coals for claiming that Russia had 'no reason' as far as he can see to have carried out an election hacking scheme that his own intelligence officials have linked to the Kremlin. 
He said that while he has 'great confidence' in his intelligence officers, 'President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial' that it directly involved Russia.  


+4


President Trump will defend his Helsinki summit directly to cameras this afternoon in an effort to blunt criticism of a press conference with Vladimir Putin in which he left the Russian president off the hook for election interference
Arriving in the U.S. on Monday night, the president ignored questions from reporters. He let a Fox News interview he did with Sean Hannity just before his Helsinki departure be the final word that day on the controversial summit.

The president launched a late defense of his meeting with Putin as Democrats and the media panned as 'treasonous,' 'disgusting,' and 'disgraceful.' Not only was it great, he said on Twitter, it was 'even better' than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance. 
As he weathered heavy criticism for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki and NATO summits.
He settled on a regular target for characterizing his Putin presser as anything less than a success -- the media.  
'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!' he said.


+4


President Trump said Tuesday that not only was his meeting with Vladimir Putin great - it was better than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance


+4


As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit



The usual suspects had torn into the president for complimenting Putin and siding against U.S. intelligence officers in their assessment that the Kremlin ordered the 2016 election disruption, but so had prominent hosts on Fox News
The usual suspects had torn into the president for complimenting Putin and siding against U.S. intelligence officers in their assessment that the Kremlin ordered the 2016 election disruption. 
But Trump was also taking fire from Fox News hosts, including Shep Smith and Neil Cavuto, and members of his inner circle like Anthony Scaramucci and Newt Gingrich. 
Former CIA director John Brennan had blasted Trump's press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday as 'nothing short of treasonous' in high profile remarks, as well.
He accused the president of being 'wholly in the pocket of Putin' and the presser 'rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors.' 
'It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???,' said Brennan, who served as the nation's intelligence chief when the meddling was occurring during the presidency of Barack Obama.
Republican Sen. John McCain also labeled Trump's press conference 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in history,' and House speaker Paul Ryan said, 'Russia is not our ally.'
And Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, tweeted: 'What do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically?' 
Trump roundly blamed the media for the failure of his summit, however, arguing that it was the 'fake news' that was blowing him up.
Putin on Monday denied Russia had any role in the election and offered to interrogate a dozen of his country's nationals who were indicted last Friday in the special counsel investigation.


Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee.
'My people came to me — Dan Coats came to me and some others — they said they think it’s Russia,' the president said of his director of national intelligence. 'I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia.'
He added: 'I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be, but I really do want to see the server.'
Trump said, 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people.
'But I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer,' Trump said.
Brennan expressed total disbelief at Trump's news conference.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served during the Obama administration, said it was 'truly unbelievable.'
'On the world's stage, in front of the entire globe, the President of the United States essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin. So it was amazing and very, very disturbing,' Clapper said Monday on CNN.


+4


WASN'T ME: Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee
Trump's current DNI, Coats, countered Trump in a statement and said that Russia was clearly involved in the interference in the last election.
'We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy,' he said in a statement on Monday, 'and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.'
Trump tweeted from Air Force One on Monday as he travelled back to the United States that he has 'GREAT confidence' in his intelligence team but 'in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past.'
'As I said today and many times before, 'I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.' However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018,' he wrote.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5963031/My-meeting-Putin-better-great-claims-Trump-teeth-condemnation.html

[size=34]My meeting with Putin was even better than great - the fake news is going crazy! claims Trump in teeth of condemnation for throwing his own spies under the bus as he cozied up to the Russian strongman[/size]

• As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for comments on election hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit
  
  
• He settled on a favored target for characterizing it as anything less than a success -- the media
  
  
• 'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia,' he said. 
  
  
• He said: 'Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!'
  
  
• At a joint news conference with Vladimir Putin if believed his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin would be lying
  
  

By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:08 EDT, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 13:54 EDT, 17 July 2018

    


President Trump said Tuesday that not only was his meeting with Vladimir Putingreat - it was 'even better' than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance.
As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki and NATO summits.
He settled on a regular target for characterizing his Putin presser as anything less than a success -- the media.  
'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!' he said.


+3


President Trump said Tuesday that not only was his meeting with Vladimir Putin great - it was better than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance


+3


As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit



The usual suspects had torn into the president for complimenting Putin and siding against U.S. intelligence officers in their assessment that the Kremlin ordered the 2016 election disruption, but so had prominent hosts on Fox News


The White House announced later in the day that President Trump would defend his Helsinki summit directly to cameras in an effort to blunt criticism. 
Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said a 2 pm meeting with Members of Congress that had been closed to press would be opened up so that the president could make remarks on his trip to Finland.
Trump was still being raked over the coals for claiming that Russia had 'no reason' as far as he can see to have carried out an election hacking scheme that his own intelligence officials have linked to the Kremlin.
He said that while he has 'great confidence' in his intelligence officers, 'President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial' that it directly involved Russia.
Putin on Monday denied Russia had any role in the election and offered to interrogate a dozen of his country's nationals who were indicted last Friday in the special counsel investigation.
Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee.
'My people came to me — Dan Coats came to me and some others — they said they think it’s Russia,' the president said of his director of national intelligence. 'I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia.'
He added: 'I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be, but I really do want to see the server.'
Trump said, 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people.
'But I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer,' Trump said.
Brennan expressed total disbelief at Trump's news conference.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served during the Obama administration, said it was 'truly unbelievable.'
'On the world's stage, in front of the entire globe, the President of the United States essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin. So it was amazing and very, very disturbing,' Clapper said Monday on CNN.


+3


WASN'T ME: Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee
.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5963487/Trump-defends-Putin-emergency-statement-party-leaders-condemn-him.html

[size=34]Petulant Trump desperately tries to end the Putin crisis by saying he BELIEVES Russia meddled in the elections and he just misspoke at Helsinki press conference - then mutters: 'Could be other people also'[/size]

• As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for comments on election hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit on Twitter
  
  
• He settled on a favored target for characterizing it as anything less than a success -- the media -- in late morning tweets
  
  
• 'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia,' he tweeted 
  
  
• He said: 'Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!'
  
  
• At a joint news conference with Vladimir Putin if believed his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't see 'any reason' why Putin would be lying
  
  
• Explained Tuesday in an extremely rare climb down that he meant to say there wouldn't be any reason for him to disbelieve his intel chiefs 
  
  
• 'The sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia,' Trump said. 'I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself'
  
  
• Trump said he was surprised by the firestorm that awaited him when he arrived on Monday in Washington and realized he needed to 'clear up' his comments
  
  
• Even allies of the president were telling him on Tuesday that he needed to 'reverse course' and issue a clarification 
  
  

By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 13:06 EDT, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 15:40 EDT, 17 July 2018

    




President Trump in the first major retreat of his administration said that he misspoke at his Helsinki summit when he said that he did not have 'any reason' to think that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
Trump spoke directly to cameras on Tuesday afternoon in an effort to blunt criticism of a press conference with Vladimir Putin at which he left the Russian president off the hook for election interference.
Glancing at a written document throughout his remarks, Trump said he accepts his intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in the election - although it could be other people also - and said he meant to say yesterday that he had no reason to doubt the professionals within his administration.
'I accept our intelligence community conclusion that Russian meddling in the 2016 election took place,' Trump said. 'Could be other people also, a lot of people out there,' he added. 'There's no collusion at all.'

Trump said he was surprised by the firestorm that awaited him when he arrived on Monday in Washington and realized he needed to 'clear up' his comments after reviewing the transcript of his presser with Putin. The president said that has the 'greatest respect' for his intelligence chiefs.
'The sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia,' Trump said. 'So you can put that in. I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.' 


+9


President Trump in the first major retreat of his administration said that he misspoke at his Helsinki summit when he said that he had 'no reason' to think that Russia meddled in the 2016 election


+9


Glancing at a written document throughout his remarks, Trump said he accepts his intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in the election - although it could be other people also


+9


The president had clearly marked up notes given to him by aides before the remarks
The White House said in a lunchtime announcement that a 2 pm meeting with Members of Congress that had been closed to press would be opened up so that the president could make remarks on his trip to Finland. 
Trump has been raked over the coals for claiming that Russia had 'no reason' as far as he can see to have carried out an election hacking scheme that his own intelligence officials have linked to the Kremlin. 
He said that while he has 'great confidence' in his intelligence officers, 'President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial' that it directly involved Russia.  
Arriving in the U.S. on Monday night, the president ignored questions from reporters. He let a Fox News interview he did with Sean Hannity just before his Helsinki departure be the final word that day on the controversial summit.
The president launched a late defense of his meeting with Putin as Democrats and the media panned as 'treasonous,' 'disgusting,' and 'disgraceful.' Not only was it great, he said on Twitter, it was 'even better' than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance. 
As he weathered heavy criticism for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki and NATO summits.
He settled on a regular target for characterizing his Putin presser as anything less than a success -- the media.  
'While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!' he said.



+9


Trump said he accepts his intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in the election - although it could be other people also - and said he meant to say yesterday that he had no reason to doubt the professionals within his administration 


+9


President Trump said Tuesday that not only was his meeting with Vladimir Putin great - it was better than one he had a few days prior with America's security alliance


+9


As he weathered heavy criticism on Tuesday for fawning over the strongman who the U.S. intelligence community says was behind 2016 hacking, Trump declared victory in his Helsinki summit



The usual suspects had torn into the president for complimenting Putin and siding against U.S. intelligence officers in their assessment that the Kremlin ordered the 2016 election disruption, but so had prominent hosts on Fox News
The usual suspects had torn into the president for complimenting Putin and siding against U.S. intelligence officers in their assessment that the Kremlin ordered the 2016 election disruption.
But Trump was also taking fire from Fox News hosts, including Shep Smith and Neil Cavuto, and members of his inner circle like Anthony Scaramucci and Newt Gingrich.
Former CIA director John Brennan had blasted Trump's press conference with Putin on Monday as 'nothing short of treasonous' in high profile remarks, as well.
He accused the president of being 'wholly in the pocket of Putin' and the presser 'rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors.'
'It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???,' said Brennan, who served as the nation's intelligence chief when the meddling was occurring during the presidency of Barack Obama.
Trump told Tucker Carlson in a Fox News interview airing Tuesday that was taped after the comment: 'I think Brennan is a very bad guy, and if you look at it, a lot of things happened under his watch. 
'I think he's a very bad person,' the president contended.
Republican Sen. John McCain also labeled Trump's press conference 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in history,' and House speaker Paul Ryan said, 'Russia is not our ally.'
And Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, tweeted: 'What do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically?'
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse said Tuesday on Fox, 'This isn't complicated' and there is 'no moral equivalency' between the Untied States and Russia.
'Putin is a thug and he attacked America,' he said. 'Man we were weak yesterday on the global stage.'
Sasse called Trump's public comments about Putin 'goofy' and 'bizarre' at the news conference where the Russian leader awarded Trump the World Cup championship game ball. 
Trump roundly blamed the media for the failure of his summit, arguing that it was the 'fake news' that was blowing him up.


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Even his former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was advising Trump on Tuesday to 'reverse course'
Yet, even his former White House communications director, Scaramucci, was advising him on Tuesday to 'reverse course immediately' and correct what he characterized on CNN as a 'major mistake.'
He added: 'This is not a mistake of words, by the way, this is not a bad PR kerfuffle. This is a mistake of strategy and execution. This is a mistake of thinking.'
'The President is conflating the two issues. He's tying the collusion accusation to the irrefutable evidence that the Russians meddled in the election,' the ex-Trump said.
Scaramucci said Trump has 'got to knock it off,' or else 'unnatural alliances will build up in Washington and outside of Washington.'
On 'Fox & Friends,' the influential morning show in the Trump era because the president is known to watch it every day, host Brian Kilmeade conceded that Trump had made an unforced error.
Kilmeade said Trump's conduct was 'something that needs to be corrected' and suggested he take to Twitter to address the criticism.
'It's correctable. It's still early. He can start by even tweeting something out today,' Kilmeade said.
Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo went even further on her daytime show, 'Mornings with Maria,' contending that Trump's press conference was 'probably the low point of the presidency so far' and asserting there is 'no question' Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
'But the president didn't want to address it in front of Vladimir Putin,' she said, 'which is a head-scratcher.'


The White House announced later in the day that President Trump would defend his Helsinki summit directly to cameras in an effort to blunt criticism. 
Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said a 2 pm meeting with Members of Congress that had been closed to press would be opened up so that the president could make remarks on his trip to Finland.
Trump was still being raked over the coals for claiming that Russia had 'no reason' as far as he can see to have carried out an election hacking scheme that his own intelligence officials have linked to the Kremlin. 
Sen. Rand Paul, an unlikely figure within the GOP, emerged as the president's sole defender as President Trump continued to take a beating.
The libertarian lawmaker, who has been a swing vote for Trump's agenda, said that the Republican president had been unfairly hit with an 'onslaught' of allegations since he took office, when it was Hillary Clinton's campaign that is known to have funded a dossier of dirt on her opponent.
Trump promptly rewarded him with a tweet that proclaimed 'you really get it' as he watched the bad reviews of his performance in Helsinki roll in.
A day before, Trump had said that while he has 'great confidence' in his intelligence officers, 'President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial' that it directly involved Russia.


+9


An unlikely figure within the GOP came to the president's defense on Tuesday morning as President Trump took a beating in the press for his news conference with Vladimir Putin -- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul
Putin on Monday denied Russia had any role in the election and offered to interrogate a dozen of his country's nationals who were indicted last Friday in the special counsel investigation.
Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee.
'My people came to me — Dan Coats came to me and some others — they said they think it’s Russia,' the president said of his director of national intelligence. 'I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia.'
He added: 'I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be, but I really do want to see the server.'
Trump said, 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people.
'But I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer,' Trump said.
Brennan expressed total disbelief at Trump's news conference.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served during the Obama administration, said it was 'truly unbelievable.'
'On the world's stage, in front of the entire globe, the President of the United States essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin. So it was amazing and very, very disturbing,' Clapper said Monday on CNN.


+9


WASN'T ME: Asked at a joint news conference with Putin if believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs, Trump said he doesn't 'see any reason' why Putin's government would have hacked the Democratic National Committee
Trump's current DNI, Coats, countered Trump in a statement and said that Russia was clearly involved in the interference in the last election.
'We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy,' he said in a statement on Monday, 'and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.'
Trump tweeted from Air Force One on Monday as he travelled back to the United States that he has 'GREAT confidence' in his intelligence team but 'in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past.'
'As I said today and many times before, 'I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.' However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018,' he wrote.

He should have tweeted: "Who cares about what I said yesterday? I don't!"

Your so right Carol, lol.

This is dreadful............

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/las-vegas-shooting-mgm-resorts-sues-victims-limit-liability-stephen-paddock-nevada-a8451746.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/las-vegas-shooting-mgm-resorts-sues-victims-limit-liability-stephen-paddock-nevada-a8451746.html

The owner of a hotel in which Los Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock stayed during his deadly rampage last year, has filed suit against more than 1,000 of his victims in an attempt to avoid liability.
MGM Resorts International filed suit in Nevada and California this week against victims of the 2017 mass shooting – the deadliest in US history. The lawsuit argues that MGM cannot be held responsible for deaths, injuries, or other damages stemming from the shooting, and says all claims against the company “must be dismissed”, according to local reports.

The suit does not seek compensation from victims, but seeks to prevent future lawsuits against the company from moving forward, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

• READ MORE
  
  

Las Vegas shooting survivor meets baby whose life she saved

“Years of drawn out litigation and hearings are not in the best interest of victims, the community and those still healing,” MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong said in a statement.

MGM owns the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where Mr Paddock stayed during the shooting, as well as the Route 91 Harvest Festival, where the shooting occurred.
Fifty-eight people were killed and more than 800 were injured in the shooting last October, when police say Mr Paddock opened fire from his 32nd-floor suite with weapons he had stockpiled over the course of a week.

Las Vegas shooting – in pictures

More than 450 victims of the shooting sued MGM last November, alleging negligence on the hotel's part. At least four other lawsuits have been filed against the company by victims who were injured at the concert, or by family members of the deceased, according to Reuters.
MGM’s lawsuit cites the 2002 SAFETY Act, which protects companies that deploy certain security technologies from being held liable for claims related to an act of terrorism. The company claims it cannot be held liable because it employed a security contractor that had been certified by the Department of Homeland Security for “protecting against and responding to acts of mass injury and destruction”.
The FBI has not defined last year’s shooting as an act of terrorism.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5963953/Michelle-Obama-slams-Donald-Trump-mediocre-charity-event-Scotland.html

[size=34]Michelle Obama puts the boot into 'mediocre' Trump as she laments society 'demanding excellence from women' but putting up with second-rate men in power[/size]

• Michelle Obama was giving speech at The Hunter Foundation in Edinburgh
  
  
• Former First Lady spoke about equality and being okay with 'mediocrity' in men
  
  
• Mrs Obama was spotted landing at Edinburgh airport in a private jet earlier today
  
  

By DIANNE APEN-SADLER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 16:00 EDT, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 19:45 EDT, 17 July 2018

    



Michelle Obama has slammed US President Donald Trump as being 'mediocre' during a speech at a charity event in Scotland.  
The former First Lady was attending the dinner organised by The Hunter Foundation (THF) in Edinburgh earlier this evening when she made the remarks.
While talking about Trump, she said: 'There's something wrong with us as women that we would make that choice... we can't be okay with mediocrity with men, but demand excellence from women.'
Mrs Obama's strong words against Trump come just hours after her husband Barack gave a sharp rebuke to Trump by warning that 'strongman politics are ascendant' in a speech in Johannesburg, South Africa. 


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Michelle Obama slammed US President Donald Trump as being 'mediocre' during a speech at a charity event in Scotland (pictured)


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The former First Lady, pictured here in May, said of Trump: 'There's something wrong with us as women that we would make that choice... we can't be okay with mediocrity with men, but demand excellence from women' 
Mrs Obama was due to give a speech at the event about her experiences in the White House. 

She also focused on gender equality, a topic she has spoken about on numerous occasions in the past.
She added: 'I sat at a lot of tables with men who had more money and more degrees and more confidence who I thought were saying things that were wrong that I assumed I just didn't understand. 
'Ten years on they're still talking rubbish. It's time for them to listen.'
After the speech Mrs Obama is due to take part in a conversation moderated by five-time Olympic medallist Dame Katherine Grainger. 


Mrs Obama also said: 'We have a lot of work to do. We're not there yet...I want girls to feel like they own the planet - just treated equally.'
Judy Murray, Mark Beaumont and Beverley Knight were among the guests attending the fundraising dinner.
Singer Beverley Knight also attended and shared her delight by tweeting: 'I. Just. Met. #MichelleObama [shocked emoji] [heart-eyes emoji].' 
Speaking ahead of the function, Knight said: 'This is one of those moments in your life where it's not just a joy, not just an honour, it's seismic, it's historical. So for me, I'm beaming.



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The event was also attended by singer Beverley Knight (pictured outside The Hunter Foundation event) who tweeted her delight at meeting Mrs Obama
'I have never met Michelle Obama so tonight this is desperately exciting for me.
'When I told my mum, she was almost in tears. For me as a woman, for me as a black woman, it's just so huge.'
Mrs Obama is understood to have gone into the venue via a back entrance, having been spotted landing at Edinburgh airport in a private jet earlier today.
Her attendance at the gathering sees her follow in the footsteps of her husband, former US president Barack Obama, who visited Scotland in May last year for a similar event with the foundation.
A table for 10 people at the event cost £5,000. All profits will be distributed to over 1,000 good causes via the Kiltwalk charity.
THF founder, businessman Sir Tom Hunter, said: 'We're delighted to have the former first lady come and do her first international appearance since leaving the White House, so we're very chuffed that she's chosen Scotland to do so.
'For these events we've had some very high-profile men.
'We've had the former first lady's husband last year, President Obama, President Clinton, George Clooney.
'Therefore I think it was time to find a woman who's on the world stage and I don't think we could have got anybody better.'  


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Mrs Obama was spotted landing at Edinburgh airport in a private jet earlier today (pictured)


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The former First Lady was seen leaving the airport accompanied by a large motorcade
 

Obama's sharp rebuke to Trump as he warns that 'strongman politics are ascendant', 'shameless politicians double down on lies' and 'the free press is under attack'
Former U.S. President Barack Obama took aim at 'strongman politics' in his highest-profile speech since leaving office on Tuesday.
In an impassioned speech he urged people around the world to respect human rights and other values now under threat while marking the 100th anniversary of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's birth.
While not mentioning his successor President Donald Trump by name, Obama's speech in South Africa countered many of Trump's policies, rallying people to keep alive the ideas that Mandela worked for including democracy, diversity and tolerance.
Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000 people at a cricket stadium in Johannesburg in the centerpiece event of celebrations marking 100 years since Nelson Mandela's birth. 
Obama opened by calling today's times 'strange and uncertain,' adding that 'each day's news cycle is bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines.' These days 'we see much of the world threatening to return to a more dangerous, more brutal, way of doing business,' he said.





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Warning:  Obama's speech in South Africa countered many of Trump's policies, rallying people to keep alive the ideas that Mandela worked for including democracy, diversity and tolerance.


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Address: Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow, spoke before Obama at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking 100 years since his birth


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Strongman politics: Obama used the phrase after his successor's press conference with Russia's Vladimir Putin, which was widely condemned for Trump making an equivalence between 


+18




Memory: Obama delivered the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture as his most high-profile intervention since leaving office and to mark 100 years since the birth of the South African anti-apartheid campaigner and prisoner turned president


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Crowd: 10,000 people were at the Wanderers cricket stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa's economic capital, for the speech


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Making moves: Obama danced with singer Thandiswa Mazwai who performed after his speech, with Mandela's widow Graca Machel and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa also taking part
He targeted politicians pushing 'politics of fear, resentment, retrenchment,' saying they are on the move 'at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.'
He attacked 'strongman politics,' saying that 'those in power seek to undermine every institution ... that gives democracy meaning.'
Obama added: 'I am not being alarmist, I am simply stating the facts. Look around.' He also spoke up for equality in all forms, saying that 'I would have thought we had figured that out by now.'
And he warned: 'Social media, once seen as a mechanism to promote knowledge, has proved to be just as effective promoting hatred and paranoia and conspiracy theories.'
He also spoke up more than once for the 'free press' saying it was 'under attack' and needed to be defended - in contrast to Trump calling the media 'the enemy of the people'.
'Democracy depends on strong institutions,' he said.
'It's about minority rights, and checks and balances and freedom of speech, free press, and the right to protest and petition the government, and an independent judiciary, and everybody having to follow the law.'
And the former president spoke about the 'utter loss of shame among political leaders when they're caught in a lie and they just double down and lie some more'.
'People just make stuff up!' he said to laughter an applause from the audience.
'Given the strange and uncertain times we are in, each day's news cycles brings more head-spinning and disturbing headlines, I thought maybe it would be useful to step back for a moment and get some perspective,' Obama said at the start of his speech.


'It is in part because of the failures of governments and powerful elites... that we now see much of the world threatening to return to an older, more dangerous, more brutal way of doing business,' Obama said.
'You have to believe in facts, without facts there is no basis from cooperation,' he said.
He said that if there was not agreement on facts, it was impossible to have dialogue - saying that climate change was an example of that.
'I can't find common ground when someone says climate change is not happening.' 
Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris Accord on combating it and questioned whether it is genuine. 
But Obama reminded the audience that 'we've been through darker times. We've been through lower valleys,' and he closed with a call to action: 'I say if people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.' 
His words were met with cheers by a crowd of about 14,000 people gathered at a cricket stadium in Johannesburg for the speech, which was streamed online.
'Just by standing on the stage honoring Nelson Mandela, Obama is delivering an eloquent rebuke to Trump,' said John Stremlau, professor of international relations at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, who called the timing auspicious as the commitments that defined Mandela's life are 'under assault' in the U.S. and elsewhere.
'Yesterday we had Trump and Putin standing together, now we are seeing the opposing team: Obama and Mandela.'
This is Obama's first visit to Africa since leaving office in early 2017. He stopped earlier this week in Kenya, where he visited the rural birthplace of his late father.
Obama's speech highlighted how the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was imprisoned for 27 years, kept up his campaign against what appeared to be insurmountable odds to end apartheid, South Africa's harsh system of white minority rule.


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Delegation Barack Obama was joined on stage by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. Obama urged Africans and people around the world to respect human rights and equal opportunity in his speech to mark the late Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday


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Reception: Members of the Soweto Gospel Choir sang the South African national anthem before Obama's speech


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Audience: Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson, with his son Sam Branson (center) and wife Joan Templeman (left) was in the audience. He hosted Obama for a vacation after he left office


+18




Embrace: Barack Obama  greets Nelson Mandela's widow, Graca Machel as he arrives on stage to sit between her and Cyril Ramaphosa


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+18





Also in attendance: Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who as the leader of the Zulu nation is recognized in the South African constitution was present, as was former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi


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Big appearance: Obama was front and center as he marked 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela
Mandela, who was released from prison in 1990 and became South Africa's first black president four years later, died in 2013, leaving a powerful legacy of reconciliation and diversity along with a resistance to inequality, economic and otherwise.
Obama has shied away from public comment on Trump, whose administration has reversed or attacked notable achievements of his predecessor. The U.S. under Trump has withdrawn from the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal while trying to undercut the Affordable Care Act or 'Obamacare.'
Instead of commenting on politics, Obama's speech drew on broader themes and his admiration for Mandela, whom America's first black president saw as a mentor.
When Obama was a U.S. senator he had his picture taken with Mandela. After Obama became president he sent a copy of the photo to Mandela, who kept it in his office. Obama also made a point of visiting Mandela's prison cell and gave a moving eulogy at Mandela's memorial service in 2013, saying the South African leader's life had inspired him.
Many South Africans view Obama as a successor to Mandela because of his groundbreaking role and his support for racial equality in the U.S. and around the world.
Moses Moyo, a 32-year-old Uber driver, was among the thousands lining up for Obama's speech. 'I think he'll speak about how Mandela changed the system here in South Africa, how he ended apartheid and gave hope for the poor and encouraged education,' he said. 
Many people in South Africa are discouraged by corruption, he added, as the ruling African National Congress struggles to maintain the legacy that Mandela and others established.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5965195/Trump-approved-decision-announce-Russian-indictments-Putin-meeting.html

[size=34]President Trump approved decision to announce Russian indictments before Putin meeting 'because he thought it would give him the upper hand'[/size]

• President Trump approved the decision to announce Russian hacking charges before his meeting with Vladimir Putin
  
  
• Sources say Trump thought it would give him the upper hand during the talks
  
  
• Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein went to Trump last week and offered to hold off announcing the charges until after the Helsinki meeting on Monday
  
  
• Trump then stunned the world by shying away from criticizing Putin over the 2016 election hacking 
  
  

By WIRES and EMILY CRANE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 00:58 EDT, 18 July 2018 | UPDATED: 03:50 EDT, 18 July 2018

    


President Donald Trump approved the decision to announce the Russian hacking indictments prior to his Vladimir Putin meeting because he thought it would give him the upper hand during the talks, sources say.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein went to Trump last week and offered to hold off announcing the charges until after he had met with Putin in Helsinki on Monday, Bloomberg reports.
But Trump gave the go-ahead to announce the charges against the 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic Party.
Trump had hoped the indictment would strengthen his hand during the summit, according to the White House sources. 


+2


President Donald Trump approved the decision to announce the Russian hacking indictments prior to his Vladimir Putin meeting because he thought it would give him the upper hand
Instead, the US president stunned the world by shying away from criticizing the Russian leader for Moscow's actions to undermine the election and cast doubt on US intelligence agencies.

Faced with outrage at home, Trump on Tuesday sought to end 27 hours of bipartisan recrimination by delivering a rare admission of error, saying he misspoke during his press conference with Putin. 
Trump said he accepted the intelligence community's assessment that Russia had meddled in the election, and offered a rambling explanation of his assertion that he could not see 'any reason' why Russia would interfere.
'In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't',' Trump said, speaking at the White House ahead of a meeting with Republican lawmakers.
'The sentence should have been, 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia.' Sort of a double negative,' he added, repeating the laborious clarification several times.
But while Trump expressed his 'full faith and support for America's great intelligence agencies,' he insisted that 'Russia's actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election.'
He again floated the idea that 'other people' could be involved.





Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (above on Friday) went to Trump last week and offered to hold off announcing the charges until after he had met with Putin in Helsinki on Monday


Later on Tuesday, Trump again contended that his Helsinki summit was a 'great success' and blamed what he called 'the Fake News Media' for contrary views.
The 29-page indictment against the 12 Russian intelligence officers was announced on Friday - just days before Trump's meeting with Putin. 
Democratic leaders immediately called for Trump to cancel the scheduled meeting with the Russian president, but the White House said the summit would go ahead.
The indictment accuses members of the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU of carrying out 'large-scale cyber operations' to steal Clinton campaign and Democratic Party documents and emails.
'There's no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime,' Rosenstein said in announcing the charges at a press conference in Washington.
He added that although 'conspirators corresponded with several Americans during the course of the conspiracy through the internet,' the indictment did not allege that Americans knew they were in contact with Russian intelligence officers.
Rosenstein said he briefed Trump about the indictment before Friday's announcement and that the timing was determined by 'the facts, the evidence, and the law.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5966253/Haters-war-Russia-claims-Trump.html

[size=34]Haters would rather go to war with Putin than get along with Russia claims Trump as he abandons any pretense of apology for disastrous press conference and claims 'higher ends of intelligence' SUPPORT him[/size]

• President Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to slam critics of his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin
  
  
• He claimed to be a victim of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' 
  
  
• His storm of tweets abandoned his contrite tone from Tuesday  
  
  
• He claims those at the 'higher ends of intelligence loved my press conference performance' and his meeting with Putin will prove to be a great success
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 07:40 EDT, 18 July 2018 | UPDATED: 08:16 EDT, 18 July 2018

    


President Donald Trump is claiming 'haters' would rather go to war with Russia than see him get along with President Vladimir Putin in what he labeled 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.'
'Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It's called Trump Derangement Syndrome!,' he wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning.
The president abandoned any pretense of an apology for his disastrous press conference in Helsinki on Monday, in which he backed Russia's claim they did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election over American intelligence reports that provided clear evidence Moscow meddled.
His series of early morning tweets on Wednesday were defiant in their defense of his actions in Finland.

Trump also is claiming those at the 'higher ends of intelligence loved my press conference performance in Helsinki' and that it infuriated 'haters who wanted to see a boxing match.'



Trump abandoned any pretense of an apology for his disastrous press conference


+20


He was defiant in a series of early morning tweets on Wednesday


+20


He claims the meeting with Vladimir Putin will prove to be a great success


+20


Trump was on twitter rant Wednesday morning
'So many people at the higher ends of intelligence loved my press conference performance in Helsinki. Putin and I discussed many important subjects at our earlier meeting. We got along well which truly bothered many haters who wanted to see a boxing match. Big results will come!,' he wrote on Twitter.
However, shortly after his press conference aired and the criticism from both senior Republican and Democrat lawmakers was rolling in, his own Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, released a statement countering the claims Trump made in Helsinki.
Coats slammed the president's doubts on Moscow's role in the presidential contest and said it was clear Russia was 'meddling.'
'We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy,' he said in a statement on Monday, 'and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.'
Trump had showed contrition on Wednesday and said that he accepts his intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in the election - although it could be other people also - and said he meant to say in his press conference that he had no reason to doubt the professionals within his administration.
'I accept our intelligence community conclusion that Russian meddling in the 2016 election took place,' Trump said, reading from a statement at an event designed to do damage control. 'Could be other people also, a lot of people out there,' he added. 'There's no collusion at all.'
In Trump's tweets on Wednesday morning, most of which he wrote before the morning news shows began airing, he also is claiming his meeting with his Russian counterpart will be an even greater success than his meeting earlier in the trip with NATO leaders, which got off to a rocky start as he got into a show down with officials at their first breakfast meeting and rumors of tension among the world leaders grew to the point the president called a hastily arranged news conference to shoot down rumors the United States was going to leave the organization.
'While the NATO meeting in Brussels was an acknowledged triumph, with billions of dollars more being put up by member countries at a faster pace, the meeting with Russia may prove to be, in the long run, an even greater success. Many positive things will come out of that meeting,' Trump wrote.


And he got in one final tweet about the situation, noting Russia promised to help him with North Korea, where the president hopes to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
'Russia has agreed to help with North Korea, where relationships with us are very good and the process is moving along. There is no rush, the sanctions remain! Big benefits and exciting future for North Korea at end of process!,' the president touted.
Trump's tweets on Wednesday showed a shift in tone from the day before, when, battered by criticism from all sides, the White House moved to try and contain the fallout, having the president himself clarify the situation.
Officials brought in the press to a previously arranged meeting with Republican lawmakers to give Trump an on-camera chance to make amends.  
Glancing at a printed statement that he had marked up with hand-written edits throughout his remarks, Trump said he was surprised by the firestorm that awaited him when he returned to Washington D.C. on Monday and realized he needed to 'clear up' his comments after reviewing the transcript of his presser with Putin.


+20


Trump's tweets on Wednesday marked a change tone from his contrite one on Tuesday


+20


Trump said Tuesday he was surprised by the firestorm that awaited him when he returned to Washington D.C.
The president said that he has the 'greatest respect' for his intelligence chiefs and claimed his misspoke - leaving a word out of one of his statements in his press conference.
'The sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia,' Trump said. 'So you can put that in. I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.'
The president was slammed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and former intelligence officials for his remarks with Putin in Helsinki.
Former CIA director John Brennan, a staunch Trump critic, was one of the most harshest voices after the press conference, calling it 'nothing short of treasonous.'
He also accused the president of being 'wholly in the pocket of Putin.'
'Donald Trump's press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors.' It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???,' tweeted Brennan, who served as the nation's intelligence chief under President Barack Obama.  
Trump also wouldn't callRussia an adversary in an interview taped after his explosive press conference and before he read a statement acknowledging Russia did interfere in the U.S. elections.
Trump conducted the interview with Fox host Tucker Carlson after his Helsinki press conference.
Carlson asked the president of Russia was the nation's 'chief adversary.'  
'Well they are a strong military,' Trump said, complimenting Russia. 'But their economy is much smaller as you know than China and I don't want to even use the word 'adversary,' we can all work together,' he said.


+20


President Donald Trump wouldn't call Russia an adversary in an interview taped after his explosive press conference


+20


Trump conducted the interview with Fox host Tucker Carlson after his Helsinki press conference where he created a firestorm by saying he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin over the U.S. Intelligence Community, which concluded Russia did hack
'We can do great. Everybody can do well and we can live in peace, but I think it's very, very important and I've watched your show a lot and I see how you're talking about the - really the magnificent size of China, you look at the size and what they've done in a fairly short period of time, that's because of a lot of bad leadership on behalf of the United States. We allowed that to happen,' Trump said.
The Fox host also asked Trump what he thought of the timing of the indictments of 12 Russian spies accused of carrying out the hack – perhaps suggesting the Justice Department wanted to influence his summit with Putin.  Trump was informed in advance.
'Well, I don't think of the timing as much as I think of other timing. Barack Obama was President. I wasn't President when this happened. Barack Obama was the President of the United States when all of this - this was pre - this was when I was getting elected, so I was being elected, and I guess, I assumed this stuff all took place in that area or before,' Trump said, keeping blame on his predecessor as he has done on Twitter.


+20


The Fox host also asked Trump what he thought of the timing of the indictments of 12 Russian spies accused of carrying out the hack – perhaps suggesting the Justice Department wanted to influence his summit with Putin


+20


Putin is pictured during the joint press conference with Trump in Helsinki, Finland
'And he was President and they informed him of it and he did nothing. And then after I won, see, he thought Hillary was going to win, after I won, he said, 'Oh, this is a big deal,' Trump continued.
'Well, it wasn't a big deal as long as she won. So it's a disgrace, and frankly, it's a disgrace what's happening to our country,' he said.
Carlson also brought up Trump's rant about Democratic servers during his Helsinki press conference.   
'Would be possible for you to direct the Department of Justice, FBI to take possession of the server and have, assuming no government investigators looked at it, which seems to be case right now, and gets to the bottom of it,' he asked.
The DNC handed over data that a computer security firm pulled from the hacked server during the campaign, and the latest indictment makes detailed references to information on it. Trump brought up the server as well as raising a conspiracy theory about a Democratic IT staffer who worked for Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and who pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge. 


+20


Carlson also brought up Trump's rant about Democratic servers during his Helsinki press conference. Trump (pictured above) speaks to members of the media as he meets with members of Congress in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday


+20


'As you traveled around Europe and looked at Europe over the years, can you think of a place that has been improved by mass immigration or movements of large embers of refugees?' Carlson asked the president, who has said immigration is ruining Europe's culture
'So as I've told you and the answer is absolutely, it is possible, and maybe at some point, it will be done, but I've wanted to stay out. My Department of Justice is the one branch, the one group that I'm very little involved and the same with the FBI,' Trump said, although he later laced into FBI lawyer Peter Stzrok.
'Am I disappointed that they're not looking at all of the crooked things taking place on the other side? Like the Pakistani man who left with these three servers- knew everything about Schultz, new everything, new Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and I think he had three servers. I believe they even have them, and they don't want to use them, Trump said.
'Or the DNC, where the server was never taken by the FBI. They went in there and [Clinton campaign chair John] Podesta or somebody threw them out of the office. They said, 'Get out of here.' 
'Maybe if they go after other people, like there's no tomorrow. So, I have purposely - you understand that. I spoke to you about it before. As they said, 'You're winning, don't get involved,' because I don't want to have people accuse me of anything, so I've stayed very much uninvolved, but am I allowed to be involved? Totally. Will I be involved? We'll have to see as it goes along,' Trump said. 
Trump turned on Brennan, the ex-CIA director who accused of treason after his meeting with Vladimir Putin, telling Fox News in an interview airing Tuesday: 'I think he's a very bad person.'


+20


Former CIA director John Brennan is one of Trump's harshest critics


+20


A firestorm of criticism rained down on the president after his press conference with Putin
He slammed John Brennan repeatedly in comments released from his interview with Tucker Carlson, which he recorded immediately after one with the network's Sean Hannity.
'I think Brennan is a very bad guy, and if you look at it, a lot of things happened under his watch,' Trump told Carlson.
'I think he's a very bad person.'
Brennan's tweeted criticism on Monday shortly after the press conference with the Russian president included a call for impeachment.
On Tuesday the former chief spy doubled down, telling NBC's Today show that he was right to warn about treason.
'When I use the term, this is nothing short of treasonous I equate it to the betrayal of one's nation, aiding, abetting, giving comfort to an enemy,' he said.
'The president had the chance to warn Putin, to tell him, 'Do not do this again' and he failed to even meet the minimum standards of that.'


+20


He slammed Trump on twitter after the president's press conference with Putin



President Trump and President Putin spoke to the press after their meeting in Helsinki 



Twitter attack: McCain used the president's preferred medium to trail the attack on Trump
But Trump equated the former Obama official to a series of his favorite targets at the FBI: anti-Trump lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, fired director James Comey and former deputy director Andrew McCabe.
'I also think that when you watch Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, when you watch all of the things that have happened - Comey, you take a look at that and McCabe who has got some pretty big problems I assume, you look at the deception, the lies – these are people that in my opinion are truly bad people, and they're being exposed for what they are,' the president said.   
Brennan spoke out on Monday amid a firestorm of bipartisan criticism.
John McCain labeled Trump's press conference 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in history', and other Republicans also joined the criticism, with Paul Ryan saying: 'Russia is not our ally.'
And Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, tweeted: 'What do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically?'
Brennan has been one of the president's harshest critics. And he was CIA chief during the 2016 election when the Obama administration was said to have known Russia was trying to interfere in the presidential contest.  
He has not held back in the harsh language he uses to describe the president. 
In June op-ed he wrote for The Washington Post, Brennan called Trump a 'snake-oil salesman' who has shown 'mean-spirited, malicious, and highly abnormal behavior.'



Trump fired back. He attacked Brennan on Twitter after the op-ed appeared, quoting a former Secret Service agent who appeared on 'Fox & Friends' and called Brennan a liar. 
In March, after FBI agent Andrew McCabe was fired, Brennan tweeted to Trump: 'When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but will not destroy America... America will triumph over you.'
On Monday, the former CIA chief was expressing his fury that the president declined to back the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Putin denied Russia had any role in the election.
Trump was asked if he believed his Russian counterpart or his intelligence chiefs. 'I don't see any reason why it would be' Russia, the president said.   
'I have great confidence in my intelligence people,' he added, 'but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer.' 
Brennan wasn't the only former intelligence official to express disbelief at Trump's statement.



Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served during the Obama administration,  said the press conference was 'truly unbelievable.'
'On the world's stage, in front of the entire globe, the President of the United States essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin. So it was amazing and very, very disturbing,' Clapper said on CNN Monday afternoon. 
Putin was asked in Monday's presser if he had any dirt on Trump or his family. 
The Russian president said he didn't know Trump was in Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe pageant.  
'When President Trump was in Moscow back then, I didn't even know that he was in Moscow,' he said. 'Please disregard these issues and don't think about this anymore again.' 
The president said if the Russians had anything, it would have come out. 
'If they had it, it would have been out long ago,' Trump said.

[size=34]John McCain calls Trump's press conference with Putin 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory' and says he 'abased himself before a tyrant' [/size]

John McCain savaged President Donald Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin Monday in a lengthy statement which labeled it 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory'.
McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, issued the statement hours after Trump stood side by side with Putin and called his denial of election meddling 'very powerful'.
The Republican senator is recovering at home from treatment for glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer which has largely kept him from the Senate since he announced the diagnosis a year ago last week.
McCain wrote: 'Today's press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. 


+20




Speaking out: John McCain, seen in a picture released by his daughter Meghan McCain to mark Father's Day last month, issued a scathing indictment on the Trump-Putin press conference 


+20




Strongly worded: This is part of the statement from McCain. Scroll down to read it in full
'The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.'
He said it was 'painful an inexplicable' that Trump was accompanied by 'competent and patriotic advisers' then wen on to commit 'blunders and capitulations'.
But he said: 'These were not the errant tweets of a novice politician.
'These were the deliberate choices of a president who seems determined to realize his delusions of a warm relationship with Putin's regime without any regard for the true nature of his rule, his violent disregard for the sovereignty of his neighbors, his complicity in the slaughter of the Syrian people, his violation of international treaties, and his assault on democratic institutions throughout the world.'
McCain's intervention came as other senior Republicans spoke out in the wake of a press conference which saw Trump call his own victory 'brilliant', list conspiracy theory claims about the 2016 election, and say that Putin's offer to help the Mueller probe was 'an interesting idea'. 
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday there was 'no question' that Moscow interfered in the U.S. 2016 election and that President Donald Trump 'must appreciate that Russia is not our ally.'
'There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals,' the Republican leader in the House said.
'The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.'
The rebuke from one of the party's most prominent figures came shortly after Trump's extraordinary press conference with Vladimir Putin.
At the Helsinki event after their two-hour face-to-face talks, Trump said Putin's denial of meddling in the election was 'very powerful'.


+20




'There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals,'Speaker Paul Ryan said


+20




'So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said after meeting with Putin in Helsinki in a controversial summit.
'I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this. I don't see any reason why it would be,' Trump said, speaking to reporters about Russian election meddling as he stood side-by-side with the man U.S. intelligence says ordered it.
'So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said after meeting with Putin in Helsinki in a controversial summit. 
But Ryan said there was 'no question' that Russia continues to try undermine democracy in the United States and around the world.
The Wisconsin Republican said the American intelligence community and the House Intelligence Committee agree that Russia interfered in the election. 
Another senior Republican, Jeff Flake, the junior senator from Arizona, tweeted, 'This is shameful.' 
Ben Sasse, the Republican senator from Nebraska, called it 'bizarre' and 'flat-out wrong' for Trump to suggest that both countries are to blame for their deteriorated relationship.  


Democrats used a press conference to step up their attacks on Trump.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump's 'weakness in front of Putin' proves the Russians have damaging information on him.
'Every single day, I find myself asking: what do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically? The answer to that question is that only thing that explains his behavior & his refusal to stand up to Putin,' she tweeted.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of a 'shameful performance'.
The New York Democrat said it is 'thoughtless, dangerous and weak' for Trump to take Putin's word that Russia didn't meddle in the 2016 U.S. elections. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded Russia did interfere, but the Kremlin has denied state involvement.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5966153/Trump-falsely-claims-Queen-reviewed-Honour-Guard-time-70-years.html

[size=34]Trump falsely claims the Queen 'reviewed her Guard of Honour for the first time in 70 YEARS' during his Windsor visit (but she's done it dozens of times during her 66 years on throne[/size]

He just has to lie he is such a fool.

He's such an egomaniac, he can't imagine she didn't do it just for him. Every day, with every word, he gets more embarrassing. I can't believe there are still people who think he's doing "a great job". Our education system has truly failed us! 

Common sense is not common any more as my son says.

People are idiots and yes I am talking about the one's who voted for this moron.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/18/1781561/-Father-of-MH17-Victims-Lambastes-Trump-the-man-whose-arse-you-ve-just-been-kissing-did-this

Heartbreaking

What beautiful children! How devastating to lose them and then see our moron-in-chief sucking up to their murderer.

And what is wrong with Malcolm Turnbull?! Is he on drugs?! Trump is "an American patriot"? He's doing "his best" for the US? Well, his best sucks! Actually, it seems like he's doing his best for Russia! We're wondering what Putin has on Trump. Maybe Trump has something on Turnbull!

Mm, maybe Turnbull wants a trade deal - or to avoid tarriffs? Bringing the 'art of the deal' to the world in the form of fear?

Seems like that's what this all boils down to. Profits and power vs responsibility and compassion. We know that Trump would do anything for money. It's his one true god. It's sad there are so many more like him in the world.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5968321/Trump-White-House-refuses-rule-helping-Putin-prosecute-former-U-S-ambassador-Russia.html

[size=34]Trump White House refuses to rule out helping Putin prosecute former U.S. ambassador to Russia who Kremlin claim was involved in massive fraud - and who is critic of both the Russian strongman and the U.S. president[/size]

• Putin offered special counsel Robert Mueller access to the 12 Russians he indicted in exchange for Russian access to American officials for questioning
  
  
• 'The president is going to meet with his team and we'll let you know when we have an announcement on that,' Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of the offer
  
  
• The State Department said Wednesday the 'Russian assertions are absurd.' 
  
  
• The Russia's Prosecutor General's office want to speak with staffers from State, Homeland Security and the CIA, as well as former Ambassador Michael McFaul
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:47 EDT, 18 July 2018 | UPDATED: 18:30 EDT, 18 July 2018

    


President Donald Trump is considering allowing prosecutors from the Kremlin to question American officials - including a former U.S. ambassador to Russia - about crimes Moscow alleges they committed. 
President Vladimir Putin raised the idea in his press conference with Trump in Helsinki, offering special counsel Robert Mueller access to the 12 Russians he indicted in exchange. 
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not ruling out the possibility. 


+7


Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul is one of the 11 Americans the Kremlin wants to talk to 


+7


White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not ruling out the possibility of letting Russian prosecutors talk to American officials
'The president is going to meet with his team and we'll let you know when we have an announcement on that,' she said at her briefing on Wednesday.

She remained ambiguous when asked again if Moscow would be given access to former Ambassador Michael McCaul and other U.S. officials.
'There was some conversation about it, but there wasn't a commitment made on behalf of the United States. The president will work with his team and we'll let you know if there is an announcement on that front,' she said.
Russian prosecutors on Tuesday said they want to question McFaul and other Americans over alleged monetary crimes.
McFaul, who was ambassador under President Barack Obama and has become a harsh critic of Trump and Putin, says he's innocent.
He wrote on Twitter: 'I hope the White House corrects the record and denounces in categorical terms this ridiculous request from Putin. Not doing so creates moral equivalency between a legitimacy US indictment of Russian intelligence officers and a crazy, completely fabricated story invented by Putin.' 
And the State Department said Wednesday that the 'Russian assertions are absurd.'
Sanders' response came up in the department's press briefing and spokesperson Heather Nauert did not mince words.   


'I can't answer on behalf of the White House but what I can tell you is that he overall assertions that have come out of the Russian government are absolutely absurd,' she said. 'The fact that they want to question 11 American citizens and the assertions that the Russian government is making about those American citizens we do not stand by those assertions.'
She later added: 'Russian assertions are absurd.' 
The list of U.S. officials that the Russia's Prosecutor General's office announced on Tuesday that they wanted to speak with included members of the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and the CIA, as well as McFaul.
Their request followed Putin's offer on Monday, when he mentioned the alleged crimes of American-British financier Bill Browder during his press conference with Trump in Helsinki after being asked if he'd given Mueller access to question the 12 Russians indicted by the Justice Department on charges related to the hacking of Democratic emails.


+7


Bill Browder said he donated 'zero' to Hillary Clinton's campaign


+7


Michael McFaul called Putin's request 'ridiculous' 
'This kind of effort should be a mutual one,' Putin said. 'We would expect that the Americans would reciprocate' and allow access for questioning 'the officers of law enforcement and intelligence services of the United States, whom we believe have something to do with illegal actions on the territory of Russia.'
He then went on to single out Browder, a London-based financier who led a global human rights crusade against Moscow, much to the frustration of the Russian government, which has repeatedly gone after him.
Browder has another tie to Trump - Kremlin-linked attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya brought up his name during the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting as a corrupt donor to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
'Business associates of Mr. Browder have earned over one and a half billion dollars in Russia. They never paid any taxes, neither in Russia nor in the United States and yet the money escaped the country, they were transferred to the United States,' Putin said. 
'They sent a huge amount of money - 400 million - as a contribution to the campaign of Hillary Clinton' he added. 'Well, that's their personal case, it might have been legal, the contribution itself, but the way the money was earned was illegal.'
Browder denies giving any money to Clinton's campaign. 'I donated zero,' he wrote on Twitter.  
Putin took his allegations a step further and insinuated U.S. intelligence agencies were involved. 
'We have solid reason to believe that some intelligence officers accompanied and guided these transactions,' he said. 
Browder slammed Putin for his request.
'Let's call a spade a spade here,' he said on FOX Business Network on Wednesday. 'The people that they want to hand over, the Russians want to have handed over, are me and a bunch of officials, Mike McFaul the former ambassador, Kyle Parker the person in Congress who drafted the Magnitsky Act, Bob Otto a Senior State Department Official and then a bunch of special agents from the Department of Homeland Security who have been investigating Russian money laundering connected to the Magnitsky case. And they're saying we haven't decided whether we want to hand them over? That is absolutely appalling.'
Putin offered no evidence to support his claims about the donations to Clinton or the assistance from U.S. intelligence officials. 
U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russians influenced the 2016 elections, a charge President Trump said he believed on Tuesday - a clarification of his comments in Helsinki where he back Putin against the U.S. agencies and found himself engulfed in a political firestorm that saw him criticized by members of his own party and own intelligence staff. 
Trump also indicated he would consider Putin's offer. 
'He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators, with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer. Ok? Thank you,' Trump said. 


+7


Bill Browder has earned the wrath of the Kremlin


+7


Putin offered special counsel Robert Mueller access to the 12 Russians he indicted in exchange for Russian access to American officials for questioning


+7


Secretary of State John Kerry meets Russia's Civil Society Representatives at Spaso House on May 8, 2013, with US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul (C) attending
Browder spoke to The New York Times about Putin's request and denied having funneled $400 million into Clinton's campaign. 
'This is just part of their weird non-fact-based emotional reaction,' said Browder, who would not say where he was located out of concerns for his safety. 'He has become unhinged.'
Ironically Browder made his millions in Russia during Putin's first term as president. 
Browder, who co-founded Hermitage Capital Management, became the largest portfolio investor in Russia, with more than $4 billion under his management.
But he also became a harsh critic of Moscow's weak corporate governing standards, earning him the wrath of the Kremlin.
His offices in Moscow were raided and one of his top aides, Sergei Magnitsky, was arrested. 
Magnitsky, 37, died in November 2009 after nearly 11 months in prison awaiting trial. Browder charges he was tortured during that time. 
Magnitksy's death sparked the billionaire into action. He lobbied Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2012. 
The law imposed visa sanctions on and froze the assets of those involved in Magnitsky's detention. It was the first time in 35 years the U.S. had sanctioned Russia.
In 2013, Browder was convicted of tax fraud in absentia by a Russian court. The Russian government has pushed several times to get Interpol to issue arrest orders against him.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5968775/FBI-Director-Wray-says-Russia-continues-sow-discord-US.html

[size=34]FBI Director Chris Wray hints he has considered RESIGNING over the past year and fires back at President Trump's remarks to Putin, calling Russia's continued attempts at interference 'malign'[/size]

• Christopher Wray appeared at a security conference in Aspen on Wednesday
  
  
• He was asked if he considered resigning due to intense GOP-led pressure
  
  
• Republicans have demanded FBI and DOJ turn over info on Mueller investigation
  
  
• Wray and DOJ have maintained that revealing info would compromise sources
  
  
• Wray said on Wednesday he still thinks Russia interfered in 2016 elections 
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 20:05 EDT, 18 July 2018 | UPDATED: 04:34 EDT, 19 July 2018

    


FBI Director Christopher Wray has hinted that he contemplated resigning over disagreements with President Donald Trump and his administration.
Speaking at a security conference in Aspen, Wray publicly repeated his view that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election - a view not shared by his boss, the president.
‘My view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere with the last election and that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day,’ Wray said.
He made the remarks during an interview with Lester Holt of NBC News.

Holt asked Wray about reports from early this year that he threatened to resign after Attorney General Jeff Sessions pressured him to fire FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.


+3


Speaking at a security conference in Aspen, FBI Director Christopher Wray (seen right with NBC News anchor Lester Holt) publicly repeated his view that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election - a view not shared by his boss, the president

Trump had posted critical tweets of McCabe, particularly over his alleged anti-Trump bias and his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
McCabe was eventually fired by Sessions this past Spring, though Wray did not resign.
Wray took over as head of the FBI after Trump fired his predecessor, James Comey.
The FBI and the Justice Department have come under intense pressure from the Republican-led Congress to reveal information about the ongoing investigations headed up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have resisted, saying that revealing details about an active investigation could compromise methods and sourcing. 
Republicans say that the FBI and DOJ are stonewalling while avoiding Congressional oversight. 
Democrats accuse Republicans of waging a politically motivated effort to discredit law enforcement and to undermine the Mueller investigation. 
Holt asked Wray if he ever threatened to resign in the face of the pressure campaign by the GOP.
'I'm a low-key, understated guy, but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made out of. I'll just leave it at that,' Wray said. 


Wray said Wednesday that Russia continues to use fake news, propaganda and covert operations to 'spin up' Americans on both sides of hot-button issues to sow discord in the United States.
Wray stood behind the intelligence agencies' assessment that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election, dismissing Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that his country was not involved.


+3


Wray (right) has hinted that he contemplated resigning over disagreements with President Donald Trump (left) and his administration
'He's got his view. I can tell you what my view is,' Wray said at the opening event of the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. 
'The intelligence community's view has not changed. My view has not changed.'
Wray spoke after a day of controversy in Washington over whether Trump accepts the intelligence agencies' assessment and whether he believes Moscow is continuing to try to influence American elections or threaten the nation's infrastructure.
Wray also dismissed Putin's offer to allow the U.S. access to 12 Russian military intelligence officers who have been indicted on charges of interfering in the election in return for being able to interview Americans the Kremlin has accused of unspecified crimes.
The White House said it was under consideration. Wray dismissed the offer.
'I never want to say never about anything,' Wray said, 'but it's certainly not high on our list of investigative techniques.'
Much of the conversation with Wray focused on Russia.
'Russia continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day,' Wray said.
He said that while U.S. officials have not yet seen an effort by Russia to target specific election systems, it is aggressively engaged in influence operations to sow discord and divisiveness in America. 
'To me, it's a threat that we need to take very serious and respond to with fierce determination,' Wray said.


+3


Wray stood behind the intelligence agencies' assessment that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election, dismissing Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that his country was not involved. Putin is seen right with Trump in Helsinki on Monday
He said the Russians identify divisive issues, and through covert and overt operations, fake news and propaganda, they 'spin people up on both sides of an issue and then kind of watch us go after each other.'
Russia isn't the only country threatening the U.S., Wray said.
He said he thinks China, from a counterintelligence perspective, represents the broadest and most significant threat America faces. 
China wants to replace the United States as the most powerful economic engine in the world and is infiltrating American businesses to get an edge.
'We have economic espionage investigations in all 50 states' that can be traced back to China, Wray said. 
'It covers everything from corn seeds in Iowa to wind turbines in Massachusetts and everything in between.
'The volume of it. The pervasiveness of it. The significance of it is something that I think this country cannot underestimate.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5969385/Trump-Putin-reached-verbal-agreements-Helsinki-says-Russian-ambassador-US.html

[size=34]Russian ambassador to the US says Trump and Putin reached 'verbal agreements' in Helsinki on nuclear and security issues - 'much to the surprise of US officials'[/size]

• Russia's ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told The Washington Post that the agreements were made in the summit this week 
  
  
• Issues included the New START treaty and INF arms control pacts
  
  
• Antonov also said that Trump and Putin may work together on joint military operations against terrorism in Syria
  
  
• Another topic discussed among the two leaders was a deal Russia struck with Israel last month that ensures Iran stay away from the Jewish State's border
  
  
• American officials, however, appeared to be caught flat-footed about the development 
  
  

By DAILY MAIL ONLINE REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 01:59 EDT, 19 July 2018 | UPDATED: 05:10 EDT, 19 July 2018

    



President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a number of 'important verbal agreements' during their summit in Helsinki this week. 
That news, delivered by Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, apparently comes as a surprise to US officials. 
Antonov, who spoke to The Washington Post on Wednesday, said that a handshake agreement was made on a range of issues, including the New START treaty and INF arms control pacts. 


+3



Antonov also said that Trump and Russian resident Vladimir Putin may work together on joint military operations against terrorism in Syria (JULY 16, 2018)
U.S.-Russian strategic nuclear weapons — those capable of striking each other's territory — are governed by New Start, which was negotiated by the Obama administration in 2010.

It limits each country to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads. President Barack Obama favored further cuts, but U.S.-Russian relations soured after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.  


The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was signed by the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1987. 
Antonov also said that Trump and Putin may work together on joint military operations against terrorism in Syria.
'It seemed to me, my impression was that the U.S. side listened … with interest,' Antonov said. 


+3


Russia's ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov (pictured) told The Washington Post that the agreements were made in the summit this week
Another topic discussed among the two leaders was a deal Russia struck with Israel last month that ensures Iran and its militia proxies stay least 50 miles away from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. 
American officials, however, appeared to be caught flat-footed about the development, according to the Post, unable to answer questions about the reported agreements. 
Heather Nauert, spokeseoman for the State Department, later said the administration was 'assessing . . . three takeaways' from the meeting, which she characterized as 'modest, the Post reported. 
Trump said Monday that Putin privately made an 'incredible offer' to help American investigators in their prosecution of 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking crimes during the 2016 presidential election season.
'He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people,' Trump told reporters during a news conference in Helsinki following his joint summit with Putin. 'I think that's an incredible offer, OK?'
Following the meeting in Helsinki, Antonov said it was 'very bitter' to see the reception Trump received from the news media. 
'Even in talking with you now, I am afraid to say something positive about the American president,' he said, 'because when American journalists or policymakers read my interview, they'll say Russia is again meddling and helping Donald Trump.' 


+3


Another topic discussed among the two leaders was a deal Russia struck with Israel last month that ensures Iran and its militia proxies stay least 50 miles away from the Jewish State's border (A picture taken on July 18, 2018 from the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights) 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5970787/Air-Force-chief-hails-Trumps-calls-military-Space-Force-huge-opportunity.html

[size=34]Air Force chief hails Trump's calls for a military Space Force as a 'huge opportunity' after the President demanded 'American dominance' beyond the Earth[/size]

• Gen. David Goldfein said the President treated space as a 'war-fighting domain'
  
  
• He said the Trump White House had sparked fresh interest in the space program 
  
  
• Trump warned against 'China and Russia and other countries leading us' in space
  
  

By TIM STICKINGS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:03 EDT, 19 July 2018 | UPDATED: 11:11 EDT, 19 July 2018

    






+2


Gen. David Goldfein (pictured) hailed President Donald Trump's calls for a Space Force saying it was a 'huge opportunity' 
The Air Force Chief of Staff has welcomed President Donald Trump's plans for a military Space Force.
Trump called last month for the establishment of a Space Force as an independent branch of the military, saying: 'We must have American dominance in space.'
Gen. David Goldfein praised the President for 'leading that discussion' and said the Pentagon had begun planning for the proposed new service. 

He said the Trump administration had sparked a fresh interest in the U.S. space program with a 'national-level dialogue' about its future, ABC News reported. 
Gen. Goldfein said: 'I've got the president of the United States that's talking openly about space as a war fighting domain.
'I've got a vice president of the United States that stood up a National Space Council and is moving that. I've got Congress that's engaged and now interested in talking a lot about space. 
'I see this as a huge opportunity right now that we've been given to have a national level dialogue about where we're going in space and so I love the fact that the president is leading that discussion.' 


He said there would be 'a lot of votes and stakeholders' involved in the creation of a Space Force but said the Pentagon had 'begun that planning effort'.
Announcing the proposal last month the President framed space as a national security issue, saying he does not want 'China and Russia and other countries leading us'.
He said: When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space.
'My administration is reclaiming America's heritage as the world's greatest spacefaring nation. 




+2


President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting of the National Space Council at the White House last month where he called for 'American dominance in space' 
'We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal. It is going to be something. So important.'  
Gen. Goldfein has previously said that the U.S. should regard space in the same way as other fields of combat.
He said last year: 'Space is a joint war fighting domain that we must normalize and think about no differently than any other domain in which we operate.' 
Last week NASA chief Jim Bridenstine also backed the plans and said they were a critical effort to protect the Earth.
He went on to compare space to the ocean, saying 'it's an international domain that has commerce that needs to be protected.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5971475/Flake-suggests-TREASON-Senate-floor-saying-Trump-gave-aid-comfort-enemy.html

[size=34]Jeff Flake takes to Senate floor to suggest Trump committed TREASON by giving 'aid and comfort' to 'enemy' Russia[/size]

• President Trump's controversial summit with Vladimir Putin is sparking new further divisions in Congress
  
  
• GOP Sen. Jeff Flake and Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons offered an amendment calling for notes from summit, praising Justice Department  
  
  
• Flake delivered a blistering speech accusing Trump of providing 'aid and comfort' to Russia 
  
  
•  Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn blocked the resolution
  
  
•  Senate Leader Mitch McConnell asks two panels to consider sanctions
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 14:28 EDT, 19 July 2018 | UPDATED: 17:27 EDT, 19 July 2018

    

•  summit brought new accusations in Congress Thursday, as GOPSen. Jeff Flake of Arizona accused the president of providing 'aid and comfort' to the enemy.
  

Flake's choice of words evoked the Constitution's definition of treason – at a time when President Trump is facing a new level of scrutiny for his refusal to forcefully condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for election meddling during their summit meeting Monday in Finland.
'By choosing to reject objective reality in Helsinki, the president let down the free world by giving aid and comfort to an enemy of democracy. In so doing he dimmed the light of freedom ever so slightly in our own country,' said Flake, a Trump critic who has announced his retirement from the Senate at the end of his term.
Scroll down for video 


+4


'By choosing to reject objective reality in Helsinki, the president let down the free world by giving aid and comfort to an enemy of democracy,' said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona
Flake referenced the Intelligence Community's findings that Russia interfered in the presidential election at the direction of Putin and the indictment last week of 12 Russian spies accused of carrying it out.

'To reject these findings and to reject the excruciating specific indictment against the 12 named Russian operatives in deference to the word of a KGB apparatchik is an act of will on the part of the president, and that choice now leaves us Contemplating the dark mystery. Why did he do that?' Flake asked.


Flaked and Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware drafted a resolution to commend the Justice Department and call for hearings to examine what transpired in Helsinki.
But Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas blocked it from coming immediatley to the floor.
'The way to do our work is through bipartisan committee work, have the witnesses come and testify, ask them hard questions, and render our judgment,' Cornyn, a said.


+4






Flake accused President Donald Trump of providing 'aid and comfort' to the enemy 


+4






President Donald Trump is under fire for his statement son Russia during and after his Helsinki summit


+4


President Donald Trump says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin 'We can't have this'
'I think we should consider sanctions, not sort of Sense of the Sen
ate resolution' that has no 'deterrent effect,' Cornyn said.
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday asked two Senate panels to consider sanctions that might further pressure Russia.
The Flake resolution calls for access to any notes from Helsinki, as well as to individuals, after Trump and Putin held a two-hour meeting with only interpreters present. 


'We saw earlier this week in Helsinki what was truly an Orwellian moment, Flake said. 
He referred to efforts to confuse fiction with reality, and said: 'Your mind a hash of conspiracy theory and fragments of old talking points.'
Speaking to the president, he said: 'You failed to summon reality in the face of a despot in defense of your country.' 
Article III of the Constitution states that treason against the United States 'shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.'
ADVERTISEMENT

We know Trump dreams of being Putin and being able to run this country as corruptly and autocratically as Putin runs Russia. We have to know what promises were made in that closed meeting- on both sides - before Trump hands over our whole country to Putin in exchange for Putin making him a dictator.

The Republicans  are afraid of finding out what happened in the Helsinki meeting.  They’re afraid of finding out the truth.  Trump is bought and paid for totally by Putin.

Now Trump is inviting Putin to the White House in the fall.  Trump loves to rub salt in an open wound.  The head of our National Intelligence agency didn’t even know about the invite. The idea that a criminal dictator who attacked our election in 2016, and probably interfering in our upcoming election, would be invited to the US by a sitting President is appalling and unAmerican.  Picking the fall timing seems pretty transparent ... right around the November midterm election.   If Putin accepts the invite I bet there will be protests.

That's probably when he wants to have his stupid parade, so he can show off for Putin. IMO, if they can find the money for his damn ego-stroking parade and his freakin' wall and a totally unnecessary paint job for Air Force One, they can afford to fund health care and infrastructure and Social Security  - unless Mr. Moneybags is going to pay for all his vanity projects himself - NOT!!

I wonder what would happen if we all refused to pay taxes until he's out of office - or if we all paid with post-dated checks - or signed them all :Mickey Mouse". They can't arrest everyone!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5972187/Trumps-intelligence-chief-Dan-Coats-goes-Russian-interference.html

[size=34]'Say that again?': Intelligence chief Dan Coats is BLINDSIDED when interviewer reveals Trump has invited Putin to the White House and says he wishes the president 'hadn't made' Helsinki statement[/size]

• Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats  spoke Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado
  
  
• Surprised by breaking news that the White House invited Putin for another hearing in the fall 
  
  
• Trump brought up Coats at his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin, then sided with Putin's claim that he didn't interfere in the elections
  
  
• Coats then issued a statement defending the Intelligence Community's assessment
  
  
• 'Obviously I wished he had made a different statement,' Coats said
  
  
• He said it was important to 'take a stand' on behalf of the IC 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:41 EDT, 19 July 2018 | UPDATED: 02:46 EDT, 20 July 2018

    




President Trump's Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats continued to stand firm on Russian interference in the elections, saying he wished Trump hadn't made his statement that he believed Vladimir Putin's denials. 
But he was caught off guard in a live interview when told Putin was being invited to visit the U.S. in the fall.
'Say that again? Did I hear you?' he said upon learning the news, which White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced on Twitter.
'Okay ...' Coats said, chuckling as he appeared to contemplate the prospects. 'That's going to be special,' he said, to laughs from an audience at a forum. 




+4


'Say that again?' said DNI Dan Coats, upon learning that Vladimir Putin was coming to the White House in the fall
Scroll down for video 
Coats once again criticized the president's statement in Helsinki as inconsistent with what multiple agencies have assessed. 
'Obviously I wished he had made a different statement,' Coats said in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
'But I think that now that has been clarified, based on his late reactions to this and so I don't think I want to go any further than that,' Coats said.




+4


Coats said he wished Trump hadn't made the statement backing up the 'powerful' denial by Vladimir Putin of election hacking. He reaffirmed the Intelligence Community's conclusion that Russia did hack the elections
Coats' statement Monday reaffirming the Intelligence Community's analysis provided a stark rebuke to Trump, just hours after the president said he found Putin's denial 'powerful.' 
By Tuesday, after congressional blowback and criticism from outside advisors, Trump reversed himself and said he meant to say that he didn't see any reason why Russia wouldn't – as opposed to would – intervene in the elections.
Coats acknowledged he has no idea what was said in Trump's one-on-one meeting with Putin, accompanied only by translators.  
'Your’e right I don’t know what happened in that meeting,' he said.  
'I think we will learn more. But that is the president’s prerogative,' Coats said.
Had Trump asked him 'how that ought to be conducted, I would have suggested a different way, but that’s not my role. It’s not my job. So it is what it is.' 
 He also tried to buck up intelligence agents who have been under attack from Trump.


+4


Coats served as a senator from Indiana and U.S. ambassador to Germany before Trump nominated him to his post

[size=18]Trump repeats 'zero collusion' message after meeting with Putin




Lo[/size]


+4


President Donald Trump says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin 'We can't have this' in regards to election hacking
'I say to our people also around the world … I say to them we are professionals. We are here to provide professional service to our government,' he said.
'We need to keep our heads down we need to go forward with the wonderful technical capabilities that we have,' Coats said.
Trump brought up Coats by name at his Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin, then sided with Putin's claim that he didn't interfere in the elections.
Coats explained of his reasoning and his relations with Trump: 'We started a good relationship. I just felt at this point in time that what we had assessed and reassessed and reassessed, carefully gone over still stands. And that it was important to take that stand on behalf of the Intelligence Community and on behalf of the American people.'

Can't you just see the two of them (Trump and Putin) standing on the steps of the Capitol Building grinning and watching the tanks roll by. Just making his friend Vlad feel more at home - and, while he's at it, sending a message to anyone who disagrees with him.

Considering all the firepower that would be on display, he should be careful what he wishes for.

I have never been so disgusted , this is just awful. And no one will do anything to stop this lunatic.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5974837/Kimberly-Guilfoyle-leaving-Fox-News-taking-job-Trump-backed-super-PAC-America-First.html

[size=34]BREAKING: Kimberly Guilfoyle is leaving Fox News and taking a job at Trump-backed super PAC America First - four months after she started dating Don Jr[/size]

• Kimberly Guilfoyle, 49, is reportedly stepping down from her job hosting The Five on Fox News after joining the network in February 2006 
  
  
• Guilfoyle will reportedly take a job with the America First PAC, though it  is unclear if this is a permanent move or just a leave of absence from Fox News
  
  
• America First is a super PAC that backs candidates who support the Trump-Pence agenda and employs Sean Spicer  
  
  
• Guilfoyle said in a recent interview that she believes Donald Trump Jr would be an incredible candidate, and that he 'is the base' for Republicans 
  
  

By CHRIS SPARGO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 10:05 EDT, 20 July 2018 | UPDATED: 11:24 EDT, 20 July 2018

    


Kimberly Guilfoyle is reportedly leaving her post at Fox News after over a decade with the network, claims Gabriel Sherman.
The Vanity Fair writer posted the news to Twitter on Friday, writing: 'Per 3 sources briefed on matter, Don Jr’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle is leaving Fox News. More details TK.'
That was then followed by a post from John Santucci of ABC News that read: 'Sources familiar with plan tell me Kimberly Guilfoyle expected to take a role with America First - super PAC that supports Trump agenda.' 
The news that Guilfoyle would be leaving Fox News and taking a job with America First come four months after she started dating Donald Trump Jr. 

Fox News did not respond to a request for comment. 


+4


Family first: Kimberly Guilfoyle, 49, is reportedly stepping down from her job hosting The Five on Fox News after joining the network in February 2006 (Guilfoyle and Don Jr.in Monaco last week)


+4



Guilfoyle will reportedly take a job with the America First PAC, though it is unclear if this is a permanent move or just a leave of absence from Fox News (Guilfoyle and Don Jr with President Trump in June)
Guilfoyle has long been one of Fox News' most loyal and dedicated employees.
She is often one of the first and most vocal supporters of any co-worker or boss who is maligned in the press, having publicly gone to bat for both Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly at times when few supported the men. 
Those two were eventually let go by the network, and with the departure of Megyn Kelly, Greta Van Susteren and Gretchen Carlson, Guilfoyle became one of the most senior female members of the Fox News family.


In the past few months however, she has been getting more and more press for her life outside the office thanks to her relationship with Don Jr. 
It is a relationship that Guilfoyle believes could land her in the role of first lady, a position she has some experience in after her first husband Gavin Newsom served as mayor of San Francisco.
She said in an interview with Breitbart Radio that she believes Don Jr has a future in politics, and that she is so happy to have 'finally got it right this time' with her new boyfriend.


+4


Guilfoyle has been one of Fox News' most loyal employees for the past 12 years
Guilfoyle called Don Jr 'the number one up-and-coming political figure on the right,' and said that he 'is the base.' 
'He has a compelling political voice, he is incredibly bright. I have seen him at these different rallies,' explained Guilfoyle.
'He is a person that people can understand, he's very approachable. He is very relatable with his background and his interests.'
Most importantly, Guilfoyle said, is the fact that Donald Jr is a man of the people.
'He actually puts the time in and the effort to understand the base, because he is the base,' said the Fox News host.
'He gets out there and actually talks to the real people, the men and women who have been left behind in this country.'
There is a chance that Donald Trump Jr could in fact get himself on the ballot for the election this November.
The seventh district of New York, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, has no Republican set to run in the race for a seat in the US House of Representatives.
The political calendar released by the New York State Board of Elections reveals that a vacancy can be filled in a race up until September 19, and since no Republicans ran in the primary that spot could be open for Don Jr.


+4


Former five: Guilfoyle called Don Jr 'the number one up-and-coming political figure on the right,' and said that he 'is the base'
And Guilfoyle is very good on the campaign trail, as Newsom learned almost 20 years ago when he won his race for mayor.
She continued to support him during his time in office too, with appearances on a number of high-profile progams.
In fact, her remarks about Donald Jr. were incredibly similar to ones she made back in 2004 about Newsom during an appearance on Charlie Rose.
'He was very much interested in public service and had a keen mind just in term of the political issues of the time,' said Guilfoyle.
'I knew that he had the vision, the discipline and, as it turns out, the courage to be in politics and to do the right thing so I'm really happy it worked out.'
That interview quickly turned into a counseling session however, with the pair discussing their bi-coastal lifestyles and the fact that they barely saw one another due to their careers.
Two years later they were divorced.
Don Jr and his wife Vanessa are currently in the process of divorcing. The couple has five children, and Guilfoyle has an 11-year-old son from her second marriage to Eric Villency.

annemarie wrote:I have never been so disgusted , this is just awful. And no one will do anything to stop this lunatic.

No f**king kidding annemarie.  Trump has definitely gone rouge.  Who is going to stop him?  All we can do is vote in November to send a message.  If we win back the House the Democrats will at least have a stronger voice in Congress.  Have a bad feeling that we’re gonna have to wait until 2020 to kick Trumpster’s ass.  Look at the mess this country is in right now.  Can you imagine where we will be at in a couple of more years?

Amazes me Congress could stop Obama but have no interest in stopping a lunatic who is destroying America.

I hope the Democrats win and can at the least put a dent in this idiots plans

https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/17/technology/cambridge-analytica-data-facebook-russia/index.html

https://twitter.com/caitlinmoran/status/1018802311253118976

https://twitter.com/TrumpDraws/status/1019390651748659200

A few concerning articles - to put it mildly!

PAN - To remain sane I have to believe the Caitlin Moran post is just one more conspiracy theory. Sadly, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility.

I know, and sometimes I feel bad posting some of this stuff - but sadly this is just the tip of the awful iceberg. It was also posted by the likes of Hugh Grant too - and sometimes to me it feels as if we're walking into something none of us are aware of......and I have an idea that the likes of Facebook are starting to look complicit........I post it cos I think it's good to be aware and make others aware too........

Mr Mueller, I know you're really busy and have loads more..................

Watched Bannon being interviewed by Emily Maitlis this week on BBC Newsnight......she's a really good interviewer but what some of what he was saying was very revealing - he's knocking around these parts now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJZQPARAIc

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-bannons-plan-to-hijack-europe-for-the-far-right?ref=home

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Inside Bannon's Plan to Hijack Europe for the Far-RightBannon is moving to Europe to set up The Movement, a populist foundation to rival George Soros and spark a right-wing revolt across the continent.

NICO HINES

07.20.18 9:57 PM ET

LONDON—Steve Bannon plans to go toe-to-toe with George Soros and spark a right-wing revolution in Europe.

Trump’s former White House chief advisor told The Daily Beast that he is setting up a foundation in Europe called The Movement which he hopes will lead a right-wing populist revolt across the continent starting with the European Parliament elections next spring.

The non-profit will be a central source of polling, advice on messaging, data targeting, and think-tank research for a ragtag band of right-wingers who are surging all over Europe, in many cases without professional political structures or significant budgets.

Bannon’s ambition is for his organization ultimately to rival the impact of Soros’s Open Society, which has given away $32 billion to largely liberal causes since it was established in 1984.

Over the past year, Bannon has held talks with right-wing groups across the continent from Nigel Farage and members of Marine Le Pen’s Front National (recently renamed Rassemblement National) in the West, to Hungary’s Viktor Orban and the Polish populists in the East.

He envisions a right-wing “supergroup” within the European Parliament that could attract as many as a third of the lawmakers after next May’s Europe-wide elections. A united populist bloc of that size would have the ability to seriously disrupt parliamentary proceedings, potentially granting Bannon huge power within the populist movement.

After being forced out of the White House following internal wranglings that would later surface in the book Fire and Fury, Bannon is now reveling in the opportunity to plot his new European empire. “I'd rather reign in hell, than serve in heaven,” he said, paraphrasing John Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost.

The Movement’s headquarters are expected to be located in Brussels, Belgium, where they will start hiring staff in coming months. It is expected that there will be fewer than 10 full-time staff ahead of the 2019 elections, with a polling expert, a communications person, an office manager and a researcher among the positions. The plan is to ramp that up to more like 25 people post-2019 if the project has been a success.

Bannon plans to spend 50 percent of his time in Europe—mostly in the field rather than the Brussels office—once the midterm elections in the U.S. are over in November.

The operation is also supposed to serve as a link between Europe’s right-wing movements and the pro-Trump Freedom Caucus in the U.S. This week Paul Gosar (R-AZ) was its envoy to Bannon’s operation in London.

Bannon and Raheem Kassam, a former Farage staffer and Breitbart editor, set up shop in a five-star Mayfair hotel for a week while Donald Trump was visiting Europe. Between TV appearances as Trump surrogates, they hosted a raft of Europe’s leading right-wingers at the hotel.

“It was so successful that we're going to start staffing up,” said Bannon. “Everybody agrees that next May is hugely important, that this is the real first continent-wide face-off between populism and the party of Davos. This will be an enormously important moment for Europe.”

Having seen the shock right-wing victory with the Brexit referendum and Matteo Salvini’s electoral success in Italy, which were achieved on relatively tight budgets, Bannon sees the opportunity to boost radically disparate nationalist parties by deploying a well-financed centralized operation intended to blow local opponents out of the water.

Up until now insurgent populist groups across Europe have often suffered from similar problems: lack of expertise and finances. Le Pen’s party was kept afloat by Russian loans back in 2014, when French banks refused to extend lines of credit for the Front National. Le Pen was back in Moscow shaking Putin’s hand before last year’s French elections, which the NSA  subsequently revealed had been hacked by the Russians.

The Movement plans to research and write detailed policy proposals that can be used by like-minded parties; commission pan-European or targeted polling; and share expertise in election war room methodology such as message discipline, data-led voter targeting and field operations. Depending on electoral law in individual countries, the foundation may be able to take part in some campaigns directly while bolstering other populist groups indirectly.

“I didn't get the idea until Marine Le Pen invited me to speak at Lille at the Front National,” recalled Bannon. “I said, ‘What do you want me say?’”

The response came back: “All you have to say is, ‘We're not alone.’”

Bannon was stunned to discover that the nationalist movements in Europe were not pooling skills and sharing ideas with populist parties in neighboring countries—let alone on a global scale.

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Bannon said the Front National recognized that he was “the guy that goes round and understands us as a collective.”

Up on stage he told the crowd: “You fight for your country and they call you racist. But the days when those kind of insults work is over. The establishment media are the dogs of the system. Every day, we become stronger and they become weaker. Let them call you racists, xenophobes or whatever else, wear these like a medal.”

The former Trump campaign manager believes the fuse for the global populist revolt—now led from Washington, D.C. by his former boss—was lit 10 years ago during the financial crisis and President Barack Obama’s bailout of the broken financial sector. With income inequality growing, Bannon first championed Sarah Palin and then Donald Trump as vanquishers of the establishment elite who were capable of turning traditional politics on its head.

His next populist heroes can be found in Europe.

He sees Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, as the perfect foil to help accelerate that dynamic in Europe.

Noting Trump’s controversial decision to call out Merkel over her gas pipeline deal with Russia last week, Bannon said: “This is the lie of Angela Merkel. She’s a complete and total phony. The elites say Trump is disruptive but she’s sold out control to Russia for cheaper energy prices.”

He describes Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, the French president who crushed Le Pen in a runoff election last year but has since flagged in the polls, as vulnerable figureheads of establishment Europe. With Britain voting to quit the E.U., Merkel and Macron’s vision of a united continent will be put to the test at next year’s elections.

Bannon is convinced that the coming years will see a drastic break from decades of European integration. “Right-wing populist nationalism is what will happen. That’s what will govern,” he told The Daily Beast. “You're going to have individual nation states with their own identities, their own borders.”

The grassroots movements are already in place waiting for someone to maximize their potential. “It will be instantaneous—as soon as we flip the switch,” he said.

The sight of Brexit virtually upending the entire European Union with a campaign spending cap of £7 million ($9 million) was a great inspiration. “When they told me the spending cap was £7 million, I go, ‘You mean £70 million? What the fuck?!’ £7 million doesn’t buy anything. It doesn’t buy you Facebook data, it doesn’t buy you ads, it doesn’t do anything.”

“Dude! You just took the fifth largest economy in the world out of the EU for £7 million!”

This week, British officials ruled that the Brexit campaign had not stuck to the legal limit—overspending by more than $600,000. There were also unofficial campaigns which spent additional millions arguing that Britain should leave the E.U.

Nonetheless, Britain’s GDP is around $2.6 trillion and leaked government figures estimate that Brexit could wipe 10 percent off that figure, meaning the impact of the democratic decision vastly dwarfs the scale of the investment by the campaign.

“The first thing they teach you at Harvard Business School is operating leverage,” said Bannon. With his expertise, contacts and financial backing, he is convinced that he can have an outsized impact all across Europe.

Bannon went to Italy to observe the campaign earlier this year as populist parties surged in the polls despite their tiny operations. “Look at Five Star and the Northern League,” he said. “They used their own credit cards. They took control of the seventh largest economy in the world—on their credit cards! It's insane.”

The two anti-establishment parties reached a coalition agreement that made Matteo Salvini deputy prime minister and put him in charge of the interior ministry two months ago. He has since shut Italy’s ports to NGO ships carrying rescued migrants and called for a census of the Roma community that may lead to mass deportations. Last year, he called for a radical crackdown on immigrants. “We need a mass cleansing, street by street, piazza by piazza, neighborhood by neighborhood,” he said.

Bannon sees Salvini as a model for his future Movement partners to follow. “Italy is the beating heart of modern politics,” he said. “If it works there it can work everywhere.”

He admitted that the scale of his right-wing coalition could be limited by the extreme positions of some of The Movement’s potential partners. “Some people may opt out because they think some of the guys may be too immigrant focused,” he conceded.

“We're not looking to include any ethno-nationalist parties in this although guys like the Sweden Democrats or the True Finns are perfect casting.”

Kent Ekeroth of the Sweden Democrats was one of those who met Bannon in Central London in the last week. The party, which had its roots in the Neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements of the 1980s, has shot up to almost 20 percent in recent polls after adopting a more conventionally populist, anti-immigration message.

Jérôme Rivière of Marine Le Pen’s Front National (Rassemblement National since June) also made the pilgrimage to London’s Mayfair, as did Mischaël Modrikamen of the People’s Party of Belgium, Nigel Farage of UKIP and Filip Dewinter of Vlaams Belang, a Flemish nationalist party formed in 2004 when its predecessor was found to be in breach of a Belgian law on racism and xenophobia.

Bannon said Farage and Le Pen would take the lead in figuring out the logistics of creating a new European parliamentary grouping that could be home to all of these parties and more.

Gosar, the Republican congressman, also stopped by Bannon’s London hotel. He was in Britain to attend a rally for the street protester and alt-right provocateur Tommy Robinson, who was recently jailed for contempt of court for breaching reporting restrictions on a trial. During his trip, Gosar accused the British government of jailing Robinson as part of a cover up of rape perpetrated by “disgusting and depraved individuals” from Muslim immigrant communities, which he described as a “scourge.”

Bannon’s ambition is no less than to take a stranglehold on Europe in the same way that he believes Soros has been able to dominate proceedings in recent decades.  

“Soros is brilliant,” he said. “He's evil but he's brilliant.”

Bannon wants to fulfil that role on the right and he is not ashamed to assert his objectives. “I'm about winning. I'm about power,” he said. “I want to win and then I want to effectuate change.”

He is not afraid of being caricatured in the way that Soros has been vilified by the right. He compared it to the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. “Look at Chris Wylie [the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower]. He is saying ‘Bannon made psychological weapons.’ He's literally made me the most brilliant evil genius. I'm a Bond villain. I kind of dig it.”

Kassam, who worked closely with Bannon at Breitbart and followed him out the door of the populist news site, said The Movement was shaping up as a force that would subsume national politics.

“Forget your Merkels,” said Kassam. “Soros and Bannon are going to be the two biggest players in European politics for years to come.”

Nico Hines

@nicohinesnico.hines@thedailybeast.com

I will find an interview with Bannon that was on morning tv here the other day which was fascinating because one of the interviewers turned round to him and said that he called anyone he didn't like an 'elite' - which was brilliant but someone also ought to ask him if he's a fascist...........because he undoubtedly is.

Totally agree with everything that has been said, but a few important points........

The people who need serious prison sentences are the smugglers - and who is doing anything about that - people with little money are then armed with a mobile phone and great trainers and put in a shoddy boat.

Ex-colonial Africa: unfortunately massive investment went into large numbers of these countries in terms of infrastructure but were allowed to rot when the European countries concerned stopped their maintenance once they became independent. The whole continent now has a vast population of very young people - give them a mobile phone and they see where in the world it's better. Many of their governments are corrupt.



The Middle East: Iraq, Syria etc. I am sure that those who left Iraq i e the US and its allies left at speed - the domestic audience demanded it - but left without understanding that it wasn't a good idea to leave a government run by the Shia population rather than a collaboration of both Sunni and Shia. Unfortunately that left large parts of the country in the hands of Sunni extremists.

One of the biggest current problems is that Iran is largely Shia and all around are Sunni - and Trump has sided with them..........

It's complicated........and now Trump who doesn't really care but wants to make more money

Here's a little light reading

https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate

PAN - Re: New Republic article - Nothing new here except the particulars (ie. specific names and  locations). New Yorkers have always known he's a low-life crook.He blew the money he got from daddy several times over. It had to be replaced somehow, and since no reputable bank would deal with him.... Owned by Russia, down to his tighty-whities!

We might not be able to get rid of him through impeachment, but we may be able to nibble him and his putrid family to death with criminal lawsuits in city and state courts. With any luck they'll end up broke. I wonder, would they dare go running to their Russian friends for help again?

There have been huge forest fires on the Greek mainland near Athens. More than 50 people have been killed so far. We've had some huge fires in forests and on the fields because it's so dry and we haven't had any rain for a long time, in Sweden there were fires up to the Arctic Circle.
But isn't it great that the climate isn't changing? (I know that we've always had fires in the summer, but the North of Europe usually isn't such a hot area...

Yep Carol.  Really terrible pictures coming out of Greece.  Awful situation.  Wish the east coast could send some of the rain we’ve gotten in the last few days over to Europe.  We’ve been hit hard with downpours since Sunday.  It’s like soup here in DC.   At least Europe understands the effect climate change is having on weather conditions.  Most of America gets it too.  But for now it’s being left up to private endeavors and state by state action to battle climate change.  Here in Washington the current government can’t be bothered with such nonsense ....

Donna,
my best friend is on vacation at the East coast and are in NYC at the moment. She said it's like being a sauna, so I adviced her to stay inside where you have air condition, and she replied that they all already have a cold.

We had discussed before if it's really a good idea to go there in July, but they had booked their vacation already.

Carolhathaway - I'm sorry your friends aren't having a better time here. They probably caught colds because they're surrounded by so many germy people wherever they go in the city. IMO, going in and out of air conditioning just makes it worse. I hope they feel well enough to do all the things they came here to do.

I wish I could blame climate change for the weather but, unfortunately, hot and humid is our "normal" summer weather. Actually, it hasn't been too hot this week, although it has been very humid and rainy. We're expecting a break for the weekend, so if your friends are still here they might see NY in a better light.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

[size=34]Trump's new communications boss, 55, BANS female CNN reporter, 26, from press event for asking Trump 'inappropriate' questions in the Oval Office - including whether he was worried about Michael Cohen's tapes[/size]

• CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins asked a series of questions of President Trump in the Oval Office Wednesday 
  
  
• She asked about Russia and longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen
  
  
• When Trump held an 'open press' event in the Rose Garden she was BANNED
  
  
• Collins, 26, had been the 'pool' reporter representing multiple TV networks
  
  
• Message delivered by new communications director Bill Shine
  
  
• Shine, 55, joined the White House from Fox News and has been questioned by a federal grand jury probing its handling of sexual harassment allegations
  
  
• WHCA blasts move saying: 'This type of retaliation is wholly inappropriate, wrong-headed, and weak.'
  
  
• Shine's old employer Fox News also turns on him saying: Fox News: 'We stand in strong solidarity with CNN for the right to full access.'
  
  
• Hillary Clinton's campaign pulled similar moved on DailyMail.com political editor David Martosko during her campaign, banning him from being pool reporter 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 19:18 EDT, 25 July 2018 | UPDATED: 23:14 EDT, 25 July 2018

    


The White House banned a CNN correspondent from covering an event advertised as 'open press' – after she asked a series of tough questions about Russia and Michael Cohen inside the Oval Office.
The man delivering the news to CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins was the new White House communications director Bill Shine, who joined the White House from his top executive position at Fox News, CNN's rival.
Collins got called to Shine's new West Wing office soon after the staff announced a surprise press event in the Rose Garden, where Trump spoke about talks to avert a trade war with the European Union - without taking any questions
'They said 'You are dis-invited from the press availability in the Rose Garden today,'' Collins told CNN reported. 

'They said that the questions I asked were inappropriate for that venue. And they said I was shouting.' 
Collins said she responded: 'You're banning me from an event because you didn't like the questions I asked.' 


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Banned: Kaitlan Collins was told by Bill Shine, 55, Trump's new communications supremo, that she could not attend an event open to everyone because she asked 'inappropriate' questions in the Oval Office and was 'shouting'. She rejects both claims. Shine left Fox News and has been questioned by a federal grand jury under subpoena 


+4


Trump's male enforcers: Bill Sine (left) and deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley, were in the background at the press conference Shine banned the CNN reporter from
Collins can be heard on videotape  voicing a series of questions to Trump, as reporters routinely do during events where Trump is seated near world leaders.
She asked about former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who can be heard on a tape leaked to CNN talking with Trump about a payment relating to a Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Trump. 
'Did Michael Cohen betray you, Mr. President?' Collins asked.
She also asked him: 'Mr. President, are you worried about what Michael Cohen is about to say to the prosecutors? Are you worried about what is on the other tapes, Mr. President?' 
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement: 'At the conclusion of a press event in the Oval Office a reporter shouted questions and refused to leave despite repeatedly being asked to do so. 
'Subsequently, our staff informed her she was not welcome to participate in the next event, but made clear that any other journalist from her network could attend. She said it didn’t matter to her because she hadn’t planned to be there anyway. 
'To be clear, we support a free press and ask that everyone be respectful of the presidency and guests at the White House.'
The White House Correspondents Association blasted the move to ban the reporter.
'We strongly condemn the White House's misguided and inappropriate decision today to bar one of our members from an open press event after she asked questions they did not like,' said WHCA president Olivier Knox.
'This type of retaliation is wholly inappropriate, wrong-headed, and weak. It cannot stand. 
'Reporters asking questions of powerful government officials, up to and including the President, helps hold those people accountable. In our republic, the WHCA supports the prerogative of all reporters to do their jobs without fear of reprisal from the government.'
Jay Wallace, President of FOX News, Shine's former employer, turned on him too and said in a statement: 'We stand in strong solidarity with CNN for the right to full access for our journalists as part of a free and unfettered press.' 
Fox News host Brett Baer tweeted: 'As a member of the White House Press pool- @FoxNews stands firmly with @CNN on this issue and the issue of access'.
One other reporter, HuffPost's Ryan Reilly, said that deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley was also involved.
'Hogan Gidley asked reporters where Kaitlan was as the press pool lined up for the press conference. Heard him say something to her colleagues about her not wanting to miss this. Quite a little stunt they pulled there,' Reilly tweeted.
Gidley and Shine were seen together pointing at journalists just before the Rose Garden event.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with CNN's Jim Acosta, although he wrote in a tweet he was a 'nice guy.' There is no known animosity between Trump and Collins.
Efforts to play favorites are not unheard of, but trying to keep a network correspondent out of an open press event had no immediate precedent.




+4



Room where it happened: This was the Oval Office 'pool spray' which prompted the claim that Collins 'shouted' and asked 'inappropriate questions'. She says she acted like every other network reporter in the same situation


+4


Banned from here: Trump spoke alongside Jean-Claude Juncker in the Rose Garden and took no questions. THe event was open to all reporters but Collins was banned by Bill Shine
The Hillary Clinton campaign once kicked a DailyMail.com correspondent off her campaign bus. It also denied access when DailyMail.com was the designated print pooler at an event in New Hampshire.
But an open press event means any reporter admitted to the White House, including some from obscure networks, can attend events. 
Trump did not take questions at the trade event, although multiple outlets, including CNN and DailyMail.com, shouted questions at him relating to Putin and Cohen – the same topics that earned Collins the ire of the White House.
The White House did not respond to an immediate request for comment when asked by DailyMail.com.
 CNN said in a statement: 'Just because the White House is uncomfortable with a question regarding the news of day doesn't mean the question isn't relevant and shouldn't be asked,' the network said. 'This decision to bar a member of the press is retaliatory in nature and not indicative of an open and free press. We demand better.'

The idiot couldn't say I'm sorry I can't answer that. This is disgusting he is banning reporters for doing their jobs.

Actually. I've been wishing for a long time that they'd stop covering him so much. Don't publicize it every time he tweets an insult, don't publicize every lie or stupid statement unless it is truly relevant for the electorate to know, and STOP PRINTING HIS PICTURE!!! We know what he looks like and not having his face plastered all over the media would kill his ego and save a lot of space for real news.

Wasting space and time covering all this irrelevant drivel reduces coverage of the truly harmful and destructive things being done behind the scenes. While we're drowning in coverage of his sexual perversions his administration is gutting essential agencies and eroding our democracy with little or no coverage.