Tuesday, May 9, 2017

6 PM 5/9/2017 - President Trump dismisses FBI Director Comey Tuesday May 9th, 2017 at 6:00 PM


President Trump dismisses FBI Director Comey - The Washington Post 

May 9, 5:09 PM EDT The Latest: FBI corrects Comey testimony on Clinton aide
May 9, 12:16 PM EDT US watched Russia hack French systems during election By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press
Juncker: "Hay que incluir a los euroescépticos en el debate sobre Europa" - YouTube

Immortal Regiment - 5.9.17


Immortal Regiment March on V-Day in Moscow (streamed live) - YouTube
День Победы в Нью-Йорке - YouTube

President Trump dismisses FBI Director Comey

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(Reuters)
In his testimony before the Senate on May 3, FBI Director James Comey misstated key findings in the Hillary Clinton email investigation, say people close to the inquiry. Clinton aide Huma Abedin forwarded a far smaller number of emails to her then-husband Anthony Weiner than Comey indicated, and none of them were marked as classified at the time. Clinton aide Huma Abedin forwarded a far smaller number of emails to Anthony Weiner than Comey indicated, and none of them were marked as classified. (Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Reuters)
FBI Director James B. Comey has been dismissed by the president, according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.
“The president has accepted the recommendation of the Attorney General and the deputy Attorney General regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Spicer told reporters in the briefing room, according to a pool report.
Earlier in the day, the FBI notified Congress that Comey misstated key findings involving the Hillary Clinton email investigation during testimony last week, saying that only a “small number’’ of emails had been forwarded to disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner, not the “hundreds and thousands’’ he’d claimed in his testimony.
The letter was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, more than a week after Comey testified for hours in defense of his handling of the Clinton probe.
“This letter is intended to supplement that testimony to ensure that the committee has the full context of what was reviewed and found on the laptop,’’ wrote FBI Assistant Director Gregory A. Brower.
(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
FBI Director James Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 3. Here are key moments from that hearing. FBI Director James Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 3. Here are key moments from that hearing. (Video: Sarah Parnass/Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
In defending the probe at last week’s hearing, Comey offered seemingly new details to underscore the seriousness of the situation FBI agents faced last fall when they discovered thousands of Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s emails on the computer of her husband, Anthony Weiner.
“Somehow, her emails were being forwarded to Anthony Weiner, including classified information,” Comey said, adding later, “His then-spouse Huma Abedin appears to have had a regular practice of forwarding emails to him for him I think to print out for her so she could then deliver them to the secretary of state.”
At another point in the testimony, Comey said Abedin “forwarded hundreds and thousands of emails, some of which contain classified information.’’
Neither of those statements is accurate, said people close to the investigation.
Tuesday’s letter said “most of the emails found on Mr. Weiner’s laptop computer related to the Clinton investigation occurred as a result of a backup of personal electronic devices, with a small number a result of manual forwarding by Ms. Abedin to Mr. Weiner.’’
The letter also corrected the impression Mr. Comey’s testimony had left with some listeners that 12 classified emails were among those forwarded by Abedin to Weiner.
FBI Director James B. Comey testifies on May 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
“Investigators identified approximately 49,000 emails which were potentially relevant to the investigation,” the letter said. “All were reviewed with a particular focus on those containing classified information. Investigators ultimately determined that two e-mail chains containing classified information were manually forwarded to Mr. Weiner’s account.’’
Ten other emails chains that contained classified information were found on the laptop as a result of backup activity.
The letter also clarified some of the figures Comey gave regarding ongoing terrorism probes.
The issue of Comey’s misstatements was first reported by ProPublica.
At the hearing, the statements about Abedin’s email practices were immediately seized on by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and others, who demanded to know why Abedin wasn’t charged with a crime. Comey said it was difficult finding evidence those involved in Clinton’s use of private email knowingly engaged in wrongdoing, and that traditionally the Justice Department has not prosecuted such cases without some indicator of intent.
Comey’s incorrect comments about Abedin surfaced again this week at a different Senate hearing, when Cruz pressed former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. to say how he would handle an employee who “forwarded hundreds or even thousands of e-mails to a non-government individual, their spouse, on a non-government computer.’’
Clapper said such conduct “raises all kinds of potential security concerns.’’
At the hearing last week, Comey spent hours defending his handling of the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private server for work while she was secretary of state, saying it made him “mildly nauseous” to think his decisions might have affected the outcome of the presidential election, but insisting that he had no regrets and would not have handled it differently.
Comey’s decision-making during the Clinton inquiry has come under sustained criticism from Democrats — including Clinton — who say it was a major factor that contributed to her presidential election defeat in November to Donald Trump. On Oct. 28, less than two weeks before Election Day, the director notified Congress that new Clinton-related emails had been found on a laptop belonging to Weiner.
Days later, investigators obtained a search warrant to examine about 3,000 messages on the device that were work-related. Of those, Comey said, agents found a dozen that contained classified information, but they were messages investigators had already seen.
Comey’s public comments about the Clinton case have been a source of public debate since he first announced last July that he would not recommend charges against anyone in connection with her use of a private server for government business.
At the time, he called the use of the server “extremely careless’’ but said it did not rise to the level of a crime.
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The misstatements in testimony aren’t the first time Comey has overstated a key fact in a high-profile probe.
A year ago, while speaking at a security forum in London, the director miscalculated the price the FBI had paid for a technique to crack into a locked iPhone belonging to one of the dead suspects in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif.
At the event, he said the cost of the phone hacking tool was “more than I will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months, for sure.’’ Based on Comey’s salary, his comment strongly implied the bureau paid at least $1.3 million to get into the phone, which belonged to Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook and his wife killed 14 people during a December 2015 terrorist attack.
People close to that case said the FBI actually paid about $900,000.
Read more:
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Full transcript: Sally Yates and James Clapper testify on Russian election interference 

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Full transcript: Sally Yates and James Clapper testify on Russian election interference

Former acting attorney general Sally Yates and James R. Clapper Jr., the former director of national intelligence, are testifying at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This is the transcript, which will update frequently.   SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C.: … Our two witnesses are well known and will be […]

The Latest: FBI corrects Comey testimony on Clinton aide

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on FBI Director James Comey's statements on Clinton email investigation (all times local):...

Senator Lindsey Graham questions Trump business deals - BBC News

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BBC News



Senator Lindsey Graham questions Trump business deals
BBC News
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says he has further questions about President DonaldTrump's business dealings in relation to Russia. The South Carolina senator asked former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper about the matter on ...
James Clapper gave an intriguing answer when asked about Trump's business ties to RussiaBusiness Insider
Senior US senator pushes Trump on Russia, French electionReuters
Trump made one of his own tweets into a Twitter header. Cue the Twitter shade.CNN
The Hill (blog) -MSNBC -AOL
all 165 news articles »

May 9, 2017

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A look at the best news photos from around the world.

День Победы в Нью-Йорке - YouTube

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Published on May 9, 2017
Как День победы празднуют в Нью-Йорке в одном центре для пожилых людей
Оригинальное видео: http://www.golos-ameriki.ru/a/victory...
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Hourly News Summary: NPR News: 05-09-2017 2PM ET 

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NPR News: 05-09-2017 2PM ET



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 Hourly News Summary

ISIS Claims Execution of Russian Intelligence Agent

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The militant group releases a video showing what it says was the beheading of a Russian agent who had attempted to infiltrate one of its fighting units.

German Soldiers Allegedly Planned Attacks to Be Blamed on Migrant

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Germany’s top prosecutor said two soldiers and an accomplice plotted high-profile assassinations that would be blamed on migrants, escalating a controversy over right-wing extremism in the military.

AP source: Abedin didn't send as many emails as Comey said

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top aide to Hillary Clinton did not forward "hundreds and thousands" of emails to her husband's laptop as FBI Director James Comey recently testified to Congress, according to a person familiar with the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server....

US watched Russia hack French systems during election

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States watched Russians hack France's computer networks during the election and tipped off French officials before it became public, a U.S. cyber official told the Senate on Tuesday....

Current News: 11:44 AM 5/9/2017

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Mattis Meets In Copenhagen To Discuss Islamic State

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From: AssociatedPress
Duration: 01:46

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen in Copenhagen to discuss strategies to defeating the Islamic State. (May 9)
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Immortal Regiment March on V-Day in Moscow (streamed live) - YouTube

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Streamed live 6 hours ago
People are gathering in downtown Moscow to participate in the Immortal Regiment march (Bessmertny Polk) which is held annually on May 9. The tradition originated in the Russian city of Tomsk six years ago, and has spread across Russia and to other nations affected by World War II

Что нового показали на военном параде 9 мая в Москве - YouTube

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Published on May 9, 2017
Российское министерство обороны традиционно показывает военные новинки на параде в честь Дня Победы, который проходит на Красной площади в Москве.

Mattis Meets In Copenhagen To Discuss Islamic State

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From: AssociatedPress
Duration: 01:46

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen in Copenhagen to discuss strategies to defeating the Islamic State. (May 9)
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Today, AP employs the latest technology to collect and distribute content - we have daily uploads covering the latest and breaking news in the world of politics, sport and entertainment. Join us in a conversation about world events, the newsgathering process or whatever aspect of the news universe you find interesting or important. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress

Mattis: US, Turkey Committed to Securing Raqqa

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From: AssociatedPress
Duration: 02:14

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. is working with allies, including Turkey, to secure and stabilize Raqqa once Islamic State militants have been ousted. (May 9)
Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress
Get updates and more Breaking News here: http://smarturl.it/APBreakingNews
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.
AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
Today, AP employs the latest technology to collect and distribute content - we have daily uploads covering the latest and breaking news in the world of politics, sport and entertainment. Join us in a conversation about world events, the newsgathering process or whatever aspect of the news universe you find interesting or important. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress

russia france - Google News: Trump 'was warned aid Flynn could be blackmailed by Russia' - FRANCE 24

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FRANCE 24



Trump 'was warned aid Flynn could be blackmailed by Russia'
FRANCE 24
The White House was warned in January that Donald Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, a top former official told lawmakers Monday. Trump hit back by dismissing suggestions that his team colluded with ...
On eve of fired Justice Department official's testimony, Trump tweets about Russia inquiryLos Angeles Times
How do you say 'compromised' in Russian?USA TODAY
Watch live: Sally Yates testifies on Russia and FlynnPRI
NEWS.com.au
all 1,154 news articles »


 russia france - Google News

Voice of America: Senate Confirms Trump's Pick for Air Force Secretary 

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mikenova shared this story from  1. Russia from mikenova (98 sites).

The Senate has confirmed Heather Wilson as secretary of the Air Force.   Senators approved Wilson's nomination 76-22, making her President Donald Trump's first service secretary nominee to be approved by the GOP-led chamber.   Trump's choices for secretaries of the Army and Navy have been forced to withdraw from consideration.   Trump's second choice for Army secretary, Mark Green, stepped aside late last week amid growing criticism over his remarks about Muslims, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.   Wilson is a former Republican congresswoman from New Mexico. She had faced scrutiny from several Democrats for defense industry consulting work she did after leaving Congress in 2009.   She is the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to hold the service's top civilian post.



 Voice of America
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Rex Tillerson to Meet Russian Foreign Minister in Washington

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday for talks at the State Department on the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, in the Russian envoy’s first visit to Washington since 2013.

Hourly News Summary: NPR News: 05-09-2017 7AM ET 

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NPR News: 05-09-2017 7AM ET



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International Edition - Voice of America: International Edition 2330 EDT - May 08, 2017 

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A Senate hearing Monday into alleged Russian meddling into the U.S. presidential election. North Korea detains a 4th American. The challenges ahead for France's new president. Fans of the iPhone get some disappointing news



Download audio: https://av.voanews.com/clips/VEN/2017/05/09/20170509-033000-VEN060-program_hq.mp3

 International Edition - Voice of America

Voice of America: Senate Confirms Trump's Pick for Air Force Secretary 

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The Senate has confirmed Heather Wilson as secretary of the Air Force.   Senators approved Wilson's nomination 76-22, making her President Donald Trump's first service secretary nominee to be approved by the GOP-led chamber.   Trump's choices for secretaries of the Army and Navy have been forced to withdraw from consideration.   Trump's second choice for Army secretary, Mark Green, stepped aside late last week amid growing criticism over his remarks about Muslims, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.   Wilson is a former Republican congresswoman from New Mexico. She had faced scrutiny from several Democrats for defense industry consulting work she did after leaving Congress in 2009.   She is the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to hold the service's top civilian post.



 Voice of America
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Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Syria Says Russian Military, Not UN Troops, To Police Safe Zones

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Syria's foreign minister said on May 8 that Russian troops, not UN or foreign forces, will enforce the cease-fire in safe zones established under a Russian-led agreement.



 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Hourly News Summary: NPR News: 05-08-2017 9PM ET 

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NPR News: 05-08-2017 9PM ET



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Former DOJ official explains why the Michael Flynn controversy is 'incredibly unusual' 

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From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 06:16

Former Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss congressional testimonies by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and the ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in November's presidential election.

PBS NewsHour full episode May 8, 2017 

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From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 54:24

Monday on the NewsHour, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates tells the Senate how she warned the White House that Michael Flynn was at risk of being blackmailed. Also: A tough road ahead for France's newly elected president, court arguments on President Trump's travel ban, Politics Monday looks at what's next for the GOP health care bill and moving doctor appointments to the kitchen.

The many paths from Trump to Russia

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Published May 8, 2017; Additional work by Ivory Sherman and John Coughlin; Photos: Getty Images.

Clapper: Intel Could Not 'Corroborate' Trump Dossier

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The U.S. intelligence community could not corroborate the sources included in a dubious dossier on President Donald Trump, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress Monday.
“We didn’t make a judgment on that,” Clapper told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism. “We couldn’t corroborate the sourcing.”
Clapper noted that the intelligence community’s inability to verify the sources led to the dossier not being included in its investigation on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The dossier in question was mostly compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British MI6 intelligence officer, and was made public by Buzzfeed on Jan. 10. The dossier alleged Russian authorities had kompromat (compromising material) on Trump which they could use to blackmail him into cooperating with Moscow. The wild allegations included everything from claims of bribery to prostitutes and “golden showers.”
“There is no record; no informant is identified by name or by more than a generic title,” noted Paul Roderick Gregory in an op-ed for Forbes shortly after the report’s public release.
Trump dismissed the report as false, while Buzzfeed was criticized for engaging in questionable ethics for publishing the dossier without verification. Several news organizations, including the New York Times, refused to publish the entire report due to concerns over its legitimacy.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The Latest: Trump calls Russia probe ‘a total hoax’ | News

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WASHINGTON — The Latest on the congressional probe into Russia in the 2016 election (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
President Trump is calling investigations into his campaign’s possible ties to Russia’s election meddling a “taxpayer funded charade” and a “total hoax.”
Trump is weighing in on Twitter following a congressional hearing on Russian interference.
The president says former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, one of the officials who testified Monday, “said nothing but old news!”
Yates testified about her attempts to warn the White House that national security adviser Michael Flynn could be blackmailed by Russia because he misled top officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
Flynn was forced to resign after Yates’ warning became public.
———
6 p.m.
The United States needs to do more to respond to Russia’s meddling in last year’s election.
That’s the opinion of former National Intelligence Director James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who testified Monday before a Senate subcommittee.
Yates says the U.S. needs to do more to harden election systems and inform Americans about disinformation campaigns disguised as regular news reports. She also says it wouldn’t hurt for the U.S. to prosecute some individuals for their roles in the interference in last year’s election.
Clapper favors making U.S. election systems part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, although he notes that many states have pushed back against the idea because they fear federal intervention in the electoral process.
Clapper also says the U.S. has to do more to counter propaganda.
———
3:55 p.m.
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates says she believed Vice President Mike Pence was “entitled to know” that he was relaying untruthful information about the White House national security adviser.
Yates tells a Senate judiciary subcommittee that’s one reason she raised concerns with the White House about Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser.
Flynn was fired following news reports that he had discussed sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the transition, even though Pence said publicly that the topic had not come up. The White House has said Pence was relying on information from Flynn.
Days after the inauguration, Yates informed the White House that the Justice Department had information a discrepancy between Pence’s assertions and Flynn’s conversations with the Russian envoy.
———
3:45 p.m.
Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates says the White House asked the FBI whether firing Mike Flynn would interfere with the agency’s counterintelligence investigation about the national security adviser’s contacts with Russian figures.
Yates told a Senate subcommittee on Monday that when she met with White House counsel Don McGahn, she told him that firing the national security adviser would not interfere in the FBI investigation.
Yates is testifying about going to the White House to report Flynn’s contacts with Russians that ran counter to what he told Vice President Mike Pence, and what Pence told the public. Yates was raising concerns to the Trump administration about contacts between Flynn and the Russian ambassador.
———
3:25 p.m.
Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates says she had two meetings and one phone call with White House counsel Don McGahn about concerns that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn “could be blackmailed” by the Russians.
Yates says she told McGahn that the Russians knew about what Flynn had done and the Russians knew that Flynn had misled the vice president and others about what he had done. Yates did not specify what that was.
Yates says she was giving President Donald Trump’s White House this information so that it could take actions it “deemed appropriate.”
———
3:20 p.m.
The former national intelligence director says that he was not aware of the FBI’s counterintelligence probe into Russia meddling in the election during his time as head of the nation’s 17 spy agencies.
James Clapper retired the day President Donald Trump was inaugurated. He told a Senate congressional subcommittee on Monday that when spy agencies obtain information suggesting that an American might be acting on behalf of a foreign power, the standard practice is to share that information with the FBI.
He says that as a consequence, he was not aware of the counterintelligence investigation that FBI Director James Comey acknowledged during his March 20 testimony before the House intelligence committee.
———
3:05 p.m.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Russia is now “emboldened” to interfere in elections in the U.S. and around the world.
Clapper is testifying on Capitol Hill.
He says Russia’s meddling in last year’s U.S. presidential election amounted to a “high-water mark” in its decades-long efforts to interfere in political contests. Clapper says he hopes Americans recognize the severity of the threat posed by Russia and that the U.S. moves to counter Moscow before it “further erodes the fabric of our democracy.”
Clapper served as director of national intelligence until President Donald Trump took office.
———
2:50 p.m.
The top intelligence official in the Obama administration tells senators that there is a difference between “unmasking” the name of an American in an intelligence report and leaking classified information.
It’s a distinction that has come up repeatedly in the past few months after President Donald Trump has tweeted about both issues.
James Clapper says “unmasking” is an unofficial term for the routine and legal request to reveal an American’s name that has been hidden for privacy reasons in intelligence reports. He says he has made these requests himself over the years.
Clapper says a leak is the unauthorized disclosure of classified information and says that is improper under any circumstance.
Clapper was testifying on Monday before a Senate judiciary subcommittee about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
———
1:30 p.m.
The White House says former President Barack Obama made it clear to Donald Trump that he “wasn’t exactly a fan” of Michael Flynn.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday that Flynn was an outspoken critic of Obama’s “lack of strategies.” Spicer said that if Obama “was seriously concerned” about Flynn’s connections to Russia or other foreign countries, he should have withheld Flynn’s security clearance. Flynn served under Obama as defense intelligence chief but was later dismissed.
Responding to a question over whether Obama voiced concerns over Trump’s choice of Flynn for his national security adviser, Spicer said he would not disclose the details of the meeting.
Flynn was asked to resign in early February after it became clear Flynn misled senior members of Trump’s administration about his communications with Russian government officials.
——
11:30 a.m.
President Barack Obama warned Donald Trump against hiring Michael Flynn as national security adviser in the days after the 2016 election.
That’s according to three former Obama administration officials.
The warning came during an Oval Office meeting between Obama and Trump after the Republican’s victory. Flynn had been fired by the Obama administration as the head of the military’s intelligence branch.
Trump ultimately tapped Flynn as national security adviser, but fired him after less than a month. The White House says Flynn was fired for misleading top officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
Trump has both defended Flynn and blamed the Obama administration for giving him security clearance.
The officials requested anonymity in order to disclose the private conversation.
-By White House Correspondent Julie Pace
——
8:55 a.m.
President Donald Trump is distancing himself from Michael Flynn’s troubles, tweeting that it was the Obama administration that gave Flynn the “highest security clearance.”
Flynn was dismissed under President Barack Obama as defense intelligence chief before becoming an ardent supporter of Trump and eventually Trump’s national security adviser.
Sally Yates, former deputy attorney general, is expected to testify Monday that she had warned the White House about contacts between Flynn and Russia before being fired by Trump.
Trump tweeted Monday that Flynn was “given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration — but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.”
In a second tweet, Trump said Yates should be asked under oath “if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers” soon after she raised concerns about Flynn.
———
3:20 a.m.
An Obama official who warned the White House about contacts between President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser and Russia is set to speak publicly about her worries.
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is testifying Monday before a Senate subcommittee investigating Russian interference in the election. Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper also is testifying.
Yates is expected to illuminate what led to the ouster of Michael Flynn. His resignation followed reports that Flynn discussed Russia sanctions with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, contrary to White House statements.
A person familiar with Yates’ plans says she is likely to testify she expressed alarm about discrepancies between the statements and what occurred. Trump officials have said Yates merely gave a “heads-up.”
The person was not authorized to discuss the testimony on the record.
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Ex-CIA director James Clapper confirms British intelligence warned US about Trump-Russia activity

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