This week in Donald Trump's conflicts of interest: Putts, Putin and ...
Salon-Feb 25, 2017
President Donald Trump and his family have not skimped this week when it comes to massive conflicts of interest. As the president continues to ...
Trump Loses Another Nominee to Business Conflicts of Interest
Vanity Fair-17 hours ago
Back in December, as Donald Trump was putting together his inner circle and cabinet nominees, a pattern emerged: all of the people Trump ...
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Washington Post-Feb 24, 2017
This is part of The Washington Post's new podcast series “Can He Do That?” Listen online or subscribe to receive future episodes: iTunes | ...
Foreign Policy and Trump's Conflicts of Interest
LobeLog-Feb 27, 2017
With the turmoil of the first month of Donald Trump's presidency providing a cascade of headlines and things to be alarmed or outraged about, ...
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Trump Loses Another Nominee to Business Conflicts of Interest
Vanity Fair-17 hours ago
Back in December, as Donald Trump was putting together his inner circle and cabinet nominees, a pattern emerged: all of the people Trump ...
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Business Insider-22 hours ago
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Christian Science Monitor-18 hours ago
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This week in Donald Trump's conflicts of interest: Putts, Putin and ...
Salon-Feb 25, 2017
Trump's business associates were reportedly involved in a major ... his ties to Russia and business conflicts of interest to reach the House floor, ...
Trump has a shocking conflict of interest with China
Business Insider-Feb 17, 2017
Critics have said Trump's business interests create an impossible web of conflicts that could make him vulnerable to undue influence by foreign ...
Do President Trump's business conflicts violate the Constitution?
Washington Post-Feb 24, 2017
Though Trump has since handed control of his businesses to his sons ... filed against Trump, and we address various other conflicts of interest ...
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· · · ·
Donald Trump’s sprawling business ties raise questions about how his personal interests could influence the policies he’ll pursue as president. His business interests at home and abroad, family businesses, outstanding debts and ongoing government action against him and his companies have already complicated the transition and could be a recurring problem for his presidency. On Jan. 11, Trump announced he will step down from his positions at the Trump Organization but that he will not divest his ownership. The organization, which will be managed by his sons Eric and Don Jr. and chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, will terminate pending deals and not seek new international business, among other efforts to avoid possible conflicts. Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, disagrees with the Trump team’s lawyers that these measures solve the problems his businesses present, calling them “meaningless.” The Trump Organization declined to comment about its investments or potential conflicts. Here’s what we know about Trump’s interests around the world.
Get in touch with us about this story. Send an email to <a href="mailto:tips@bloomberg.net">tips@bloomberg.net</a>tips@bloomberg.net.
Trump has earned millions of dollars plastering his name on hotels and condominium towers that were built or are owned by international partners, some in countries that are political flashpoints. Although he will be stepping down from his position, Trump could still be accused of violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which bans gifts to U.S. officials from foreign governments, experts say. Trump could run afoul of this provision through the process of obtaining permits or through dealings with business partners who often have ties to foreign governments. In January, Trump Hotels announced it wanted to triple its number of U.S. hotels, raising new questions about how his business interests could conflict with his presidency.
Melania Trump owns an accessories business and a skincare line with combined royalties of no more than $50,000, Trump said in his May FEC disclosure. Ivanka Trump announced in January that she’d discontinue actively managing her own businesses, but hasn’t divested from them. Scion Hotels, owned by the Trump Organization, is among businesses now managed by Trump sons Eric and Don Jr.
Trump’s businesses held at least $630 million of debt as of July, owed to international lenders such as Deutsche Bank and UBS. Vornado Realty Trust, the majority owner of two towers in which Trump also has a stake, owes money to Goldman Sachs and Bank of China. Trump has refused to disclose his tax returns, so it’s impossible to know if he has additional debts not tied to his businesses.
Before he was elected, Trump, his businesses and his financial partners were involved with several federal agencies. With billions of dollars, and possible criminal charges, at stake, he'll now oversee and appoint people to lead these same agencies.
Trump faced criticism over how his personal investments could influence his policies as president. He held millions of dollars in banking and energy holdings and stood to benefit from policies that would weaken financial regulations or increase oil and gas development. On Dec. 6, Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump, said the president-elect had sold all his stock in June. Miller did not provide documentation that verified the sale, and none of Trump’s stakes was large enough to require disclosure. Some of his stock holdings seem related to actions he’s taken as president-elect. His FEC disclosure listed a small stake in United Technologies, with which Trump recently brokered a $7 million deal in state tax breaks and other incentives to keep about 800 jobs in the U.S. These are the industries Trump was most heavily invested in according to his May FEC filing.
Stock data from Trump's May 2016 FEC filing show industries with up to $1 million or more invested
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In this context, Mr. Trump’s election was an unexpected bonus, but the original giddiness has worn off, and Moscow has returned to its tried-and-true formula of creating turmoil and exploiting the resulting opportunities.
“They are all telling each other that this is great, he created this turbulence inside, as we wanted, and now he is focused on his domestic problems and we have more freedom to maneuver,” Mr. Venediktov said. “Let them deal with their own problems. There, not in Ukraine. There, not in the Middle East. There, not in NATO. This is the state of mind right now.”
Sergei A. Markov, a leading analyst friendly to the Kremlin, made much the same point. “Right now the Kremlin is looking for ways that Russia can use the chaos in Washington to pursue its own interests,” said Mr. Markov, a member of the Civic Chamber, a Kremlin advisory group. “The main hope is that the U.S. will be preoccupied with itself and will stop pressuring Russia.”
Any turbulence that Russia foments also gives the Kremlin leverage that it can try to trade in the global arena at a time when it does not have much that others want.
Mr. Venediktov compared the Russian position to an intrusive neighbor who promises to be helpful by avoiding noisy restoration activity at night even though it breaks the apartment building rules in the first place.
Analysts say the Kremlin is aware that the tactic of creating and exploiting disarray can become self-defeating, in that prolonged instability could allow threats like the extremist group Islamic State to flourish.
“It is important for Russia that America does its job in foreign policy,” said Alexey Chesnakov, a periodic Kremlin political adviser and the director of the Center for Current Politics, a trend analysis group in Moscow. “If there is nobody to do that job, it might not be good for us, either.”
The Middle East provides examples of both vectors, analysts say, a moment of chaos to exploit and concerns about achieving stability for the long-term future.
Moscow has begun courting Libya, where Mr. Putin seems to want to prove that the Obama administration and other Western powers made a mistake by working to force Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi from power in 2011. Russia invited various powerful figures to Moscow and sent the country’s lone aircraft carrier, the somewhat dilapidated Admiral Kuznetsov, on a port call to Libya on its way back from Syria last month. Khalifa Haftar, the military commander in eastern Libya, got a tour. The government invited veteran officials and analysts from around the Arab world this week to discuss the future of Libya and Yemen, among other topics.
Syria, on the other hand, underscores the limits to Russian power. In the two months since Russian-backed government forces took back the city of Aleppo, there has been little movement in forging peace.
Not least, Russia can ill afford the billions of dollars needed to rebuild the country. For that it needs Washington to help persuade its allies like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who all seek a political transition away from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Like much of the world, nobody in Moscow can figure out who makes Mr. Trump’s foreign policy, never mind what it will be. Since the inauguration, it has become clear that Mr. Trump’s rosy view of Mr. Putin is not shared by the president’s top foreign policy advisers, with the possible exception of Stephen K. Bannon, his chief White House strategist.
“We cannot understand how they will work in concert,” said Igor Yurgens, a Russian economist who is prominent in business and development.
The Kremlin has adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward Mr. Trump, analysts said, expecting the first meeting with Mr. Putin in Europe sometime this summer to set the course for relations.
Dmitry K. Kiselyov, the anchor of the main state propaganda program “News of the Week,” recently pronounced what seemed to be the new party line on the air. “Let’s not judge too harshly, things are still unsettled in the White House,” he said. “Still not a word from there. Only little words, and that doesn’t amount to a policy.”
Just how unsettled was underscored on Monday, when the White House announced plans to increase military spending by $54 billion, an amount just about equal to what Russia spends in total on its military annually.
While the appearance of such turmoil in the White House has probably been surprising, even gratifying, to the Kremlin, analysts say Russia’s government is worried about having too much of a good thing. “It would be better for us to have a predictable partner,” Mr. Markov said. “An unpredictable one is dangerous.”
The perception of weakness calls into question here in Moscow whether Mr. Trump can ever live up to the many statements he made during the campaign about forging closer ties with Mr. Putin and Russia. “The overwhelming view of the Kremlin is that Trump is not very strong,” said Valeriy Solovey, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. “He might have sympathy toward Russia, but he is contained within the political establishment.”
Russia’s far right regularly predicts Mr. Trump’s assassination at the hands of the American establishment, a view occasionally echoed on state television.
Alexander Dugin, a nationalist Russian philosopher, called Mr. Trump’s inauguration the happiest day of his life because it signified the demise of the liberal international order. Mr. Dugin seemed most eager for Mr. Trump to get on with his promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington, although he worried about the consequences. “It can kill,” Mr. Dugin said in an interview. “It is not so easy to drain the swamp.”
Since the inauguration, however, enthusiasm for Mr. Trump in official Russia lurched from cool to uncool seemingly overnight. Dmitri S. Peskov, the presidential spokesman, denied that the new skepticism had been ordered from the top. The speed of the change was striking, however.
Russia’s political class marvels at how much time it now spends chewing over the minutiae of the American political system. Some attribute that to the fact that domestic politics are comatose, with Mr. Putin assured of winning another six-year term in 2018.
“Nobody is talking about the Putin election,” said Mr. Chesnakov, the political consultant. “We are discussing relations between Congress and Trump.”
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Last month's deadly commando raid in Yemen, which cost the lives of a U.S. Navy SEAL and a number of children, has so far yielded no significant intelligence, U.S. officials told NBC News.
Although Pentagon officials have said the raid produced "actionable intelligence," senior officials who spoke to NBC News said they were unaware of any, even as the father of the dead SEAL questioned the premise of the raid in an interview with the Miami Herald published Sunday.
"Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into [President Trump's] administration?" Bill Owens, whose youngest son Ryan was killed during the raid, said. "For two years prior ... everything was missiles and drones (in Yemen)....Now all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?"
A senior Congressional official briefed on the matter said the Trump administration has yet to explain what prompted the rare use of American ground troops in Yemen, but he said he was not aware of any new threat from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the al Qaeda affiliate that was targeted.
The official, and others briefed on the matter who spoke to NBC News, echoed the remarks of Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., that the raid was designed to kill or capture one or more militants — something the military did not initially acknowledge.
Instead, Pentagon officials called it a "site exploitation mission" designed to gather intelligence. Defense officials later did not dispute McCain's characterization, saying they were hoping to kill or capture certain militants, though they declined to name them. NBC News and other media outlets have reported that Sheikh Abdel-Raouf al-Dhahab was among the dead. The Pentagon calls him an al Qaeda leader; the Yemeni government disagrees.
White House Responds to Ryan Owens' Father's 'Stupid Mission' Statement 1:36
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Plans for the raid were begun during the Obama administration, but Obama officials declined to sign off on what officials described as a significant escalation in Yemen. Just five days in, Trump greenlighted the mission.
"Certainly the Obama administration, particularly by the end of its eight-year run, was very cautious in moving forward with any kind of military activity," retired Adm. James Stavridis, a former NATO commander and current NBC News security analyst, said. "A new administration I think naturally is going to be spring-loaded to move out and demonstrate something."
The White House has repeatedly called the Yemen mission a success. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Feb. 8 that anyone "who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and [does] a disservice to the life of Chief Owens."
"We gathered an unbelievable amount of intelligence that will prevent the potential deaths or attacks on American soil," said Spicer.
A Defense Department official also pushed back Monday afternoon, saying the raid has yielded "a significant amount" of intelligence.
But the only example the military has provided turned out to be an old bomb-making video that was of no current value.
On Monday, Spicer addressed the remarks of Bill Owens, whose son died.
"I can tell him that on behalf of the president, his son died a hero and the information that he was able to help obtain through that raid, as I said before, is going to save American lives," he said. "The mission was successful in helping prevent a future attack or attacks on this nation."
Multiple senior officials told NBC News they have not seen evidence to support that claim.
What Went Wrong in Yemen? New Details on Deadly Raid That Left Navy SEAL Dead 1:52
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In addition to the death of Ryan Owens, six other U.S. service members were wounded. And at least 25 civilians were killed, including nine children under the age of 13, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. One of them was the 8-year-old daughter of U.S.-born al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
A Pentagon official told NBC News today the Pentagon does not dispute these numbers.
A $70 million U.S. aircraft also was destroyed. The Pentagon already has at least three investigations into the raid underway.
"When we look at evidently very little actual intelligence out, the loss of a high-performance aircraft and above all the loss of a highly trained special forces member of SEAL Team 6, I think we need to understand why this mission, why now, what happened, and what the actual output was," Stavridis said.
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On the campaign trail last fall, GOP Sen. Richard Burr told North Carolina voters there was no "separation” between himself and Donald Trump. The Senate Intelligence Committee chairman also bragged about his role in getting the FBI to investigate Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Now, the third-term senator is under fire for running interference for the White House last week on a news report asserting repeated contacts between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. And some Democrats are wondering whether Burr, who also served as a national security adviser to Trump’s campaign, is too close to Trump to lead an impartial investigation.
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These Democrats are weighing whether to be more vocal about their concerns in a bid to pressure GOP leaders to create a more independent select committee or outside commission to handle the investigation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that Burr had been put “on notice” by Democrats and that his decision to help the White House rebut negative news stories "certainly gives the appearance, if not the reality, of a lack of impartiality." Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said over the weekend he had “grave concerns” about Burr’s conduct.
Even two intelligence committee Republicans — Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Susan Collins of Maine — made statements over the weekend that the investigation must be seen as credible. Collins said members of the panel must “avoid any actions that might be perceived as compromising the integrity of our work.”
Burr’s allies, though, defend him as a man of integrity perfectly suited for the task ahead.
“I know him to be honest, and I know him to be thorough,” said John Bryant, a lawyer in Raleigh who’s been friends with Burr since they played football together at Wake Forest. “I don’t think it would be a political problem if coming down hard on [Trump] is the right thing to do.”
Paul Shumaker, a North Carolina political consultant who ran Burr’s successful campaign last year for a third term, said Burr does not plan to run for reelection again and has been freed from political considerations as he pursues the truth behind Russia’s involvement in the presidential election.
“He is independent of the shackles of a reelection campaign,” Shumaker said of the laid-back senator, famous on Capitol Hill for driving a beat-up 1974 Volkswagen Thing.
Shumaker added that Burr puts his job as intelligence chairman above anything else, including politics — a reference to the heat Burr took last year for doing little campaigning until the final month before Election Day, even though his race was expected to be close.
Shumaker attributed Burr’s late start to his committee duties in Washington.
“He told me that there are going to be times when you are going to have to run this campaign without a candidate,” said Shumaker, who’s been Burr’s chief political strategist since he was first elected to the House in 1994 after a career at a lawn and garden equipment company. “I know this is a guy who was willing to sacrifice his own reelection if need be to do that job as chairman.”
Burr, 61, became intelligence chairman after Republicans retook control of the Senate in 2015, succeeding Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). He has been a staunch advocate for the intelligence community, defending its surveillance programs and the controversial interrogation methods used by the CIA under President George W. Bush. The senator, whose office declined an interview request, has also sought to prevent the full version of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s exhaustive report on CIA torture from ever being released. In 2014 he told reporters, "I personally don’t believe that anything that goes on in the Intelligence Committee should ever be discussed publicly."
“Sen. Burr has committed himself to the selfless oversight of the intelligence community since he served in the House of Representatives,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “He is a very capable leader on a vital committee who will conduct a professional responsible review of Russian interference into our elections.”
Democrats, though, are wary of Burr’s commitment to an even-handed investigation, though many would only discuss their concerns privately for fear of upsetting the uneasy truce between the chairman and Warner.
“There is deep skepticism of [Burr’s] ability to be impartial, but there is optimism that Mark Warner can pressure him into doing the right thing,” said a senior Senate Democratic aide. “Democrats are suspicious that this is McConnell’s way of trying to bury this.”
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said he and his fellow Democrats were willing to go along with Burr’s investigation for now, but warned that “as soon as I'm convinced that the investigation is being foreshortened or quashed, I am going to insist on an independent committee.”
Burr was one of the staunchest supporters of Trump's campaign in the Senate. In October, he was named to the candidate’s national security advisory council.
Burr campaigned with Trump in Winston-Salem and stuck by the real-estate mogul even as other Republican senators dropped their support after a video surfaced of Trump in 2005 bragging about groping women. At a rally in late October, Burr told voters there was "not a separation between me and Donald Trump" and addressed the fact that attack ads were calling him too cozy to Trump.
"I'm cozy to Donald Trump because I know Hillary Clinton,” he said at the rally, according to video from the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge.
Burr also drew attention just before Election Day after a recording was leaked to CNN of him joking to Republican campaign volunteers about gun owners putting a "bullseye" on Clinton — remarks for which he apologized.
In the recording, he also discussed the investigation into Clinton’s emails — saying a letter by him and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was what got the FBI to investigate Clinton in the first place.
“I’ll tell you a little secret,” he said. “The FBI never would have investigated the emails had it not been for a letter that Bob Corker and I sent to the inspector general of the intelligence community that kicked this all off.”
FBI Director James Comey’s decision to re-open the investigation less than two weeks before Election Day was a “gift,” Burr said, before calling Anthony Weiner “the gift that keeps on giving.”
These political barbs are certain to be on the minds of Democratic senators as they seek to ensure Burr pursues an aggressive investigation.
Many Democrats and a few Republicans have called for an independent commission or select committee to investigate the issue, but McConnell and other GOP leaders have refused. A separate investigation would give Republican leaders less control over the process.
Several Democratic operatives who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity said that so far there are reasons to be optimistic about Burr’s investigation — and that this optimism is part of what’s holding Democratic senators back from being more open about their concerns about Burr.
The investigation, though, almost fell apart last month before it even got going.
Burr initially told reporters his investigation would not look into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow as part of its larger investigation of Russia’s election meddling, saying that was outside his jurisdiction.
But Warner enlisted every Democrat on the panel in what became an implicit threat to boycott the probe if Burr did not backtrack.
A day later, Burr and Warner issued a joint statement making clear they would, in fact, investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia — and Democrats are signaling they’re satisfied with the progress of the probe so far, even though it’s still in its early stages.
Carter Wrenn, a North Carolina GOP strategist, said Burr is “not going to want” to turn the investigation into a “political circus.”
“The perception is Richard is hardworking, responsible, even-tempered and doesn’t get carried away with politics,” Wrenn said. “He’ll look at it and investigate it and see what the facts are.”
But Warner made clear over the weekend his confidence was shaken by Burr’s latest actions.
“I will not accept any process that is undermined by political interference,” Warner said, adding that he wants to ensure "the American people get the thorough, impartial investigation that they deserve, free from White House interference.”
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Spicer on Trump and Russia: 'There's nothing there'by nmccaskill@politico.com (Nolan D. McCaskill)
The White House suggested Monday that there’s no need for a special prosecutor to lead an investigation into possible contact between President Donald Trump’s associates and Russian officials, insisting “there’s nothing there.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday that House and Senate panels and the intelligence community have already looked into Russia’s interference during the presidential election.
“I think that Russia’s involvement and activity has been investigated up and down,” Spicer said. “So the question becomes at some point: If there’s nothing further to investigate, what are you asking people to investigate?”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) last week called for a special prosecutor to oversee an investigation into alleged contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials, questioning Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ impartiality, given that the former Alabama senator was a prominent and early backer of Trump’s White House bid.
On Monday, Spicer cited House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ (R-Calif.) comments to the media. Nunes told reporters he has seen no evidence of alleged contacts and cautioned against going on what he called “a witch hunt.”
“Chairman Nunes spoke very clearly today when asked over and over and over again about all of this and said that he has seen nothing that leads him to believe that there’s there,” Spicer said. “The president has spoken forcefully time and time again, that he has no interest in Russia, he hasn’t talked to people in Russia in years, and yet you keep asking — and I say ‘you’ collectively — to try to find something that’s seemingly, at least the reporting that I’m seeing in different organizations, suggests that there’s nothing new that’s being reported. It’s the same stuff over and over again that we’ve heard for literally six months. And so the question becomes at some point: What do you need to further investigate if there is nothing that has come out?”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is seeking what he called a "historic" increase in military spending of more than 9 percent, a huge rise even as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world's strongest military power.
Washington Times editor Charles Hurt said Sunday on "Fox & Friends" that President Obama would "routinely" kick reporters out of press gaggles.
"I remember a column that I wrote in 2008 that got me kicked off the President Obama's campaign plane," Hurt said. "We would routinely get kept out of those gaggles in the White House. It was not a big deal."
"I will tell you, the New York Times never mounted the ramparts to defend the First Amendment when that happened," hurt continued. "They only time that they care about the First Amendment is suddenly when they get left out of something like this. It really is sort of obnoxious."
Hurt went on to say that the First Amendment applies to both the press and political figures.
"Places like the New York Times seem to forget that and think that it only applies to the New York Times," he said.
Several major publications like Politico, CNN, and the New York Times were left out of an unofficial press gathering at the White House on Friday, angering some in the media.
The post Charles Hurt: Obama Would ‘Routinely’ Keep Reporters Out of Gaggles appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
Washington Free Beacon
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will present a preliminary version of the Pentagon’s new plan to rapidly defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during a meeting of the White House Principals Committee.
US president has replaced Oval Office decorum with his pugnacious brand of politics
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Pentagon Sends Trump Plan to Defeat Islamic State, Other Extremist Groups by webdesk@voanews.com (Lou Lorscheider)
The Pentagon says it has sent the White House a preliminary plan to defeat Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, and says Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will brief senior administration officials on the draft later Monday. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis described the document as a framework for a broader plan aimed at countering the extremist group beyond Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State is seeking to establish a religious state. Davis did not provide details. But Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford said last week the strategy will also target al-Qaida and other extremist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere. He also emphasized that the plan would reach beyond military force, calling it a “political-military plan.” Dunford said U.S. estimates show Islamic State has drawn about 45,000 recruits from more than 100 nations. “Our plan, to be successful, needs to, number one, cut the connective tissue between regional groups that now form a trans-regional threat,” he said. “What we don't want to do is bring [President Trump] options that solve one problem only to create a second problem,” he said.
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President Donald Trump's first budget proposal will look to increase defense and security spending by $54 billion and cut roughly the same amount from non-defense programs, the White House said Monday.
Highlights from Bush's interview on the "Today" show.
With President Trump focused on what it perceives as weakness at home, Moscow can pursue its own interests free of pressure from the United States, observers say.
 New York Times |
Russia Looks to Exploit White House 'Turbulence,' Analysts Say
New York Times The Ansari neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria. Since Russian-backed government forces took back the city, there has been little progress toward peace, a circumstance that underscores the limits of Russian power. Credit Hassan Ammar/Associated Press. 'No random ICE stops on streets of America,' Homeland Security chief tells governorLos Angeles Times Paul: Stop 'hysteria' on Trump and RussiaThe Hill White House sees defections on RussiaWashington Post (blog) Politico -Slate Magazine (blog) -ABC News -Newsweek all 209 news articles » |
"There will be three reviews done by the Department of Defense because of the nature of this," Spicer told reporters during his daily press briefing.
"It is standard operating procedure for the Department of Defense to undergo what they call a 15-6 review," he said, apparently referring to Army Regulation 15-6. "That review, in this case, is three-pronged because there was a fatality and the loss of life, there's that; because there were civilians involved, that's another; and then third is because there is hardware, a helicopter that was damaged."
Spicer said that the White House is "very comfortable with how the mission was executed." He also said that the raid "was successful in helping prevent a future attack or attacks on this nation."
"As I mentioned before, I think you can't ever say that when there's most importantly loss of life, and people injured, that it's 100 percent successful," he said. "But I think when you look at what the stated goal of that mission was, it was an information and intelligence-gathering mission. It achieved its objectives."
William "Ryan" Owens died Jan. 28 of wounds sustained during the raid on an al-Qaida base in Yemen. Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in February to join Owens' family and meet his remains.
During that process, known as "dignified transfer," Owens' father said he did not want to meet the President.
"I told them I didn’t want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me talk to him," William Owens said on Friday in an interview with the Miami Herald.
He questioned the decision to launch the raid and said Trump shouldn't "hide behind" his son's death to avoid an investigation.
"Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn’t even barely a week into his administration?" he said. "The government owes my son an investigation."
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TPM |
White House: Yemen Raid Will Undergo 3 Reviews But 'Achieved Its Objectives'
TPM White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that a counter-terrorism operation that resulted in the first combat casualty of President Donald Trump's term will undergo three reviews, but that the administration is "very comfortable with how the ... and more » |
Top Stories - Google News The Hill |
Paul: Stop 'hysteria' on Trump and Russia
The Hill Sen. Rand Paul · Rand PaulPaul: Stop 'hysteria' on Trump and Russia Conquering Trump returns to conservative summit Rand Paul rejects label of 'Trump's most loyal stooge' MORE (R-Ky.) is pushing back on calls for a special prosecutor to investigate ... 'No random ICE stops on streets of America,' Homeland Security chief tells governorLos Angeles Times White House sees defections on RussiaWashington Post (blog) Spicer on Trump and Russia: 'There's nothing there'Politico Slate Magazine (blog) -ABC News -Newsweek -Christian Science Monitor all 209 news articles » |
ChinaFile |
Back to the Jungle?
ChinaFile To be sure, Trump's victory is first and foremost a product of America's internal politics, and reflects the will of the American electorate. Given the influence this ... They believe that confrontation with the U.S. will damage the Chinese economy and ... and more » |
Putin and American political process - Google News
Speaking to journalists after he was freed from prison on February 26, civil-rights activist Ildar Dadin said he would continue to "fight against the system" and seek criminal action against a warden he accuses of widespread abuse.
Telegraph.co.uk |
Al-Qaeda's deputy leader reportedly killed by US drone strike in Syria
Telegraph.co.uk Al-Masri appears to have headed to Syria soon after his release to take charge of al-Qaeda's increasingly ambitious affiliate there, known then as the al-Nusra Front. With al-Masri's blessingal-Nusra split from the main al-Qaeda organisation and ... Syria al-Qaeda leader 'targeted in strike on car'BBC News Al-Qaeda's deputy leader 'killed in Syria'Sky News Australia US drone strike in Syria kills top al-Qaida leader, jihadis sayThe Guardian World Tribune all 23 news articles » |
Washington Post |
Guys, I don't think Donald Trump is going to release his tax returns
Washington Post On Monday, House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) fielded questions from reporters on Capitol Hill on Russia and its attempts to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. At one point, Nunes was asked about whether Congress might ... House intel head: 'No evidence' of Trump campaign contact with RussiaThe Hill Nunes: No evidence of Trump-Russia collusionPolitico Nunes: 'We still have not seen any evidence' of Trump campaign, Russia contactCNN Daily Caller -BuzzFeed News -Miami Herald -USA TODAY all 168 news articles » |
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TPM |
White House: Yemen Raid Will Undergo 3 Reviews But 'Achieved Its Objectives'
TPM White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that a counter-terrorism operation that resulted in the first combat casualty of President Donald Trump's term will undergo three reviews, but that the administration is "very comfortable with how the ... and more » |
Updated on 2.27.17 - M - 10:40 AM 2/27/2017
- News Reviews and Opinions: Yemen News: Nine Young Children Killed: The Full Details Of The Botched US Raid In Yemen - Mintpress News (blog) Monday February 27th, 2017 at 10:28 AM Yemen Raid Investigation
- News Reviews and Opinions: Yemen raid investigation | » mikenov on Twitter: Amid the chaos of Trump's White House, Republicans laud the man who's next in line @mmcauliff https://t.co/duNV46Aia6 via @HuffPostPol 27/02/17 08:24
- News Reviews and Opinions: White House: Trump is likely to support request for investigation of Navy SEAL’s death - The Washington Post
- White House: Trump is likely to support request for investigation of Navy SEAL’s death - The Washington Post
- Father of US Navy SEAL killed in Yemen raid demands probe, slams Trump | Fox News
During a meeting with health insurance executives today, President Trump seemed to shrug off a question about whether he would ever appoint someone to investigate the level of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Trump had several company leaders at the White House today to discuss ways to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and he allowed the press into the room as he outlined today’s agenda. As the press pool was leaving the meeting, NBC’s Kristen Welker shouted out a question about whether Trump would support a special prosecutor to investigate Russia’s cyber activities. Trump did not directly respond to Welker’s inquiry, though a mic did catch him as he said “I haven’t spoken to Russia in 10 years.”
Trump has repeatedly come under scrutiny due to indications from intelligence reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an active campaign to meddle with the 2016 election to Trump’s benefit. The president has recently escalated his feud with the media amid reports suggesting that his campaign officials were in contact with Russian intelligence before November 8.
Trump was known to have spoken with Putin as recently as January of this year, where they reportedly spoke about nuclear treaties among other subjects. A recent poll has suggested that most Americans would like Congress to investigate the nature of Trump’s connection to Russia.
Watch above, via Fox.
[image via screengrab]
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Trump: Russia, Media, and the FBI - News Review from Mike Nova
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- News Reviews and Opinions: Trump's criminal investigation - Google News: Trump may owe billions in debts to Russia - Capitol Hill Blue
- White House: Too early to say whether a special prosecutor should look into apparent election meddling by Russia - The Washington Post
- News Reviews and Opinions: 1:27 PM 2/26/2017 - News and Posts: White House: Too early to say whether a special prosecutor should look into apparent election meddling by Russia - The Washington Post
- News - Criminal Investigation of Donald Trump - Google Search
- Criminal Investigation of Donald Trump - Google Search
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- News Reviews and Opinions: Review: Trump, Russia, & FBI
- News Reviews and Opinions: Trump Review, part 1: Trump Attacks FBI for Leaks as Aides Defend Talks With Agency - Bloomberg Sunday February 26th, 2017 at 7:54 AM
- News Reviews and Opinions: Trump Review, part 2: What we know about US investigations into Russia and possible ties to Trump's campaign - PBS NewsHour Sunday February 26th, 2017 at 8:10 AM
- News Reviews and Opinions: Trump Review, part 3: President Trump to skip White House correspondents' dinner Sunday February 26th, 2017 at 8:36 AM
- News Reviews and Opinions: House Intel chair: Trump-Russia investigation calls 'almost like McCarthyism' Sunday February 26th, 2017 at 10:42 AM | » mikenov on Twitter: News Reviews and Opinions: Trump Review, part 3: President Trump to skip Whit... https
- Trump might support probe into Yemen raid, White House says | Reuters
- Father of dead Navy SEAL refused to...
Trump, Russia, Media, and FBI - News Review from Mike Nova
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Trump to propose 10 percent spike in defense spending, massive ...
Washington Post-2 hours ago
President Trump will propose a federal budget that dramatically increases defense-related spending by $54 billion while cutting other federal ...
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Former President George W. Bush weighed in on the calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia during an interview with NBC's Today show on Monday.
"I think we all need answers," Bush said. "Whether or not the special prosecutor is the right way to go or not you're talking to the wrong guy."
Questions about the Trump campaigns connections to Russia throughout the 2016 election have lingered in the wake of reports that officials from Trump's camp had repeated contacts with Russian officials throughout the election cycle. Bush said Monday that he would be looking to Republican Sen. Richard Burr, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, for his response to the questions about a special prosecutor
"I have great faith in Richard Burr. If he were to recommend a special prosecutor then I'd be—it'd have a lot more credibility with me," Bush said. "I've never been a lawyer. I'm not sure the right avenue to take. I am sure, though, that that question needs to be answered."
The president visited the Today show to talk about his new book, Portraits of Courage, in which he pays tribute to America's veterans via portraits. Bush, whose brother Jeb ran against Trump in the Republican primary, did not bash the President in the interview, but he was pressed on the first month of the Administration.
Bush said having a free press is crucial to democracy, amid the current President's repeated charges that the media is "fake" and the "enemy of the American people."
"I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy," President Bush said. "Power can be very addictive. Power can be very corrosive.”
Bush was also asked about the executive order that bans travelers from seven majority Muslim countries. “A bedrock of our freedom is the right to worship freely," Bush said. “I am for an immigration policy that’s welcoming and upholds the law.”
Bush said U.S. and media should take Trump at his word when he says he wants to bring the country together.
“I think you have to take a man for his word that he wants to unify the country,” Bush said. "It's hard to unify the country, though, with the news media being so split up."
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Father of US Navy SEAL killed in Yemen raid demands probe, slams ...
Fox News-12 hours ago
Father of US Navy SEAL killed in Yemen raid demands probe, slams Trump ... In this February 2017 photo, William Owens holds a photo of his ...
Slain SEAL's dad wants answers: 'Don't hide behind my son's death'
Highly Cited-Miami Herald-Feb 25, 2017
Highly Cited-Miami Herald-Feb 25, 2017
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Mintpress News (blog) |
Nine Young Children Killed: The Full Details Of The Botched US Raid In Yemen
Mintpress News (blog) But following a field investigation, the Bureau can today reveal that nine children under the age of 13 were killed and five were wounded in the raid in al Bayda province on January 29. Details emerged piecemeal last week regarding civilian and ... and more » |
WEAR |
Trump goes after McCain over criticism about Yemen raid: it 'only emboldens the enemy!'
WEAR Trump tweeted Thursday that McCain "should not be talking about the success or failure of a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy!" He added that McCain has "been losing so long he doesn't know how to win anymore, just look at the mess our ... and more » |
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Trump Defends 'Winning' Yemen Raid - Reprieve Comment
Common Dreams The President tweeted this morning in response to public criticism of the raid by a senior Republican, Senator John McCain. Mr Trump said that the Yemen raid was a “winning mission”, that the US should "start winning again", and that Mr McCain “should ... and more » |
The Hill |
Bipartisan Senate group demands briefing on Yemen raid
The Hill A bipartisan group of senators is demanding a briefing on the controversial raid in Yemen that left one Navy SEAL dead. “We write today with serious concerns about U.S. policy in Yemen and to urgently request a classified briefing regarding our actions ... and more » |
Newsweek |
Trump's Yemen Raid That Killed Nine Children: What Went Wrong
Newsweek A new investigation into the special forces raid targeting Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen has found the the operation went “dreadfully wrong,” killing nine children under the age of 13, with the youngest victim a three-month-old baby. In the first ... and more » |
National Review |
The 'Botched' Yemen Raid — A Dose of Perspective
National Review In other words, just two months before the Yemen raid, the Obama administration fought a bloodier battle in Afghanistan, one that cost more American lives and likely killed more civilians than the Trump administration's raid in Yemen. ... In a ... and more » |
NPR |
FACT CHECK: Trump's Yemen Raid — 'Winning Mission' Or 'Failure'? It's Not So Simple
NPR 29 Yemen raid, in which an American Navy SEAL was killed, as a "winning mission." He is also lashing out at ... NPR reported that it was "described as chaotic" by local residents and it is underinvestigation by the U.S. military. Spicer, however, said ... and more » |
Trump's Yemen Raid That Killed Nine Children: What Went Wrong
Newsweek - Feb 9, 2017
A new investigation into the special forces raid targeting Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen has found the the operation went “dreadfully wrong,” killing nine children under the age of 13, with the youngest victim a three-month-old baby. In the first ...
Bipartisan Senate group demands briefing on Yemen raid
The Hill - Feb 9, 2017
A bipartisan group of senators is demanding a briefing on the controversial raid in Yemen that left one Navy SEAL dead. “We write today with serious concerns about U.S. policy in Yemen and to urgently request a classified briefing regarding our actions ...
Trump Defends 'Winning' Yemen Raid - Reprieve Comment
Common Dreams - Feb 9, 2017
The President tweeted this morning in response to public criticism of the raid by a senior Republican, Senator John McCain. Mr Trump said that the Yemen raid was a “winning mission”, that the US should "start winning again", and that Mr McCain “should ...
FACT CHECK: Trump's Yemen Raid — 'Winning Mission' Or 'Failure'? It's Not So Simple
NPR - Feb 10, 2017
29 Yemen raid, in which an American Navy SEAL was killed, as a "winning mission." He is also lashing out at ... NPR reported that it was "described as chaotic" by local residents and it is under investigation by the U.S. military. Spicer, however, said ...
The 'Botched' Yemen Raid — A Dose of Perspective
National Review - Feb 9, 2017
In other words, just two months before the Yemen raid, the Obama administration fought a bloodier battle in Afghanistan, one that cost more American lives and likely killed more civilians than the Trump administration's raid in Yemen. ... In a ...
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A new investigation into the special forces raid targeting Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen has found the the operation went “dreadfully wrong,” killing nine children under the age of 13, with the youngest victim a three-month-old baby.
In the first military operation authorized under President Trump, U.S. commandos launched a raid on an Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula stronghold (AQAP) in the al-Bayda province, leaving at least 25 civilians dead, as well as a U.S. soldier.Next Page of Stories
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