Tag: national security

In John Bolton, Trump Finds a Fellow Political Blowtorch. Will Foreign Policy Burn?

The following article by Peter Baker was posted on the New York Times website April 8, 2018:

John R. Bolton, who becomes President Trump’s national security adviser on Monday, has a track record of voicing strong opinions and bruising colleagues’ feelings. Credit: Steve Hebert for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Shortly after Ambassador John R. Bolton was sent to represent the United States at the United Nations, an institution he had long scorned as an anti-American citadel of corruption, he hosted President George W. Bush for a visit.

“Are you having fun?” Mr. Bush asked.

“It’s a target-rich environment,” Mr. Bolton replied.

Mr. Bolton, who takes over Monday as President Trump’s third national security adviser with Syria as his most immediate challenge, and talks with North Korea and the future of the Iranian nuclear deal not far behind, loves nothing more than a good target. Over a long and colorful career he has had many of them: the United Nations, first and foremost. But also the International Criminal Court and the Antiballistic Missile Treaty. North Korea. Iran. China. Russia. The Palestinian Authority. The European Union. Continue reading “In John Bolton, Trump Finds a Fellow Political Blowtorch. Will Foreign Policy Burn?”

Trump Was Not ‘Fully Informed’ in Campaign Vows on Wall, Chief of Staff Says

The following article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Thomas Kaplan was posted on the New York Times website January 17, 2018:

White House chief of staff John F. Kelly speaks at the White House media briefing on Oct. 19. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s chief of staff privately told a group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that Mr. Trump had not been “fully informed” when promising voters a wall along the Mexican border last year, and said that he had persuaded the president it was not necessary. He also expressed optimism that a bipartisan immigration deal could eventually be reached.

John F. Kelly, the retired Marine general credited with bringing a measure of discipline to Mr. Trump’s chaotic White House during his six months as chief of staff, told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that he had educated the president about the issue of immigration, adding that Mr. Trump had “evolved” on the wall. Continue reading “Trump Was Not ‘Fully Informed’ in Campaign Vows on Wall, Chief of Staff Says”

Trump administration sought to block Sally Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia

The following article by Devlin Barrett and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website March 28, 2017:

Then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is pictured at the Justice Department on May 15, 2015. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

The Trump administration sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, The Washington Post has learned, a position that is likely to further anger Democrats who have accused Republicans of trying to damage the inquiry.

According to letters The Post reviewed, the Justice Department notified Yates earlier this month that the administration considers a great deal of her possible testimony to be barred from discussion in a congressional hearing because the topics are covered by the presidential communication privilege. Continue reading “Trump administration sought to block Sally Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia”

Flynn in FBI interview denied discussing sanctions with Russian ambassador

The following article by Sari Horwitz and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website February 16, 2017:

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn denied to FBI agents in an interview last month that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States before President Trump took office, contradicting the contents of intercepted communications collected by intelligence agencies, current and former U.S. officials said. Continue reading “Flynn in FBI interview denied discussing sanctions with Russian ambassador”

10 unanswered questions after Michael Flynn’s resignation

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website February 14, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: President Trump should thank his lucky stars that Republicans control both chambers of Congress, because Democrats would be announcing a Benghazi-style inquest today if they could.

Reince Priebus, Mike Pence, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Michael Flynn listen at Trump speaks by phone with Vladimir Putin on Jan. 28. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Michael Flynn lost his job as national security adviser after just 24 days less because he offered potentially-illegal secret assurances to Russia’s ambassador, an adversary of the United States, but because he gave an inaccurate accounting of those conversations to his colleagues in the White House, particularly Vice President Mike Pence. Continue reading “10 unanswered questions after Michael Flynn’s resignation”

Trump and Russia: A Timeline

The following article by Corey Ciorciari and Anna Perina was posted on the Center for American Progress Action Fund website February 10, 2017:

AP/Andrew Harnik
President Donald Trump—accompanied by, from the left, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, White House press secretary Sean Spicer, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn—speaks on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 28, 2017, in the Oval Office.

Recordings of phone conversations by U.S. intelligence agencies show that President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Flynn likely lied when he denied discussing election-related sanctions on Russia with Kremlin officials before Trump’s inauguration.

The intercepts contain disturbing revelations showing a long history of contact between Flynn and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak that began before the election and continued into the transition, with Flynn telling the Russians that Trump would revisit sanctions. Critically, these contacts persisted even after the U.S. government concluded the Kremlin engaged in a covert influence operation to put Trump in the White House. Continue reading “Trump and Russia: A Timeline”

From Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to Facebook, a National Security Crisis in the Open

The following article by Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman was posted on the New York Times website February 13, 2017:

President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday. He and his aides coordinated a national security response there in full view of diners instead of moving to a private location. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump and his top aides coordinated their response to North Korea’s missile test on Saturday night in full view of diners at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida — a remarkable, public display of presidential activity that is almost always conducted in highly secure settings.

The scene — of aides huddled over their computers and the president on his cellphone at his club’s terrace — was captured by a club member dining not far away and published in pictures on his Facebook account. The images also show Mr. Trump conferring with his guest at the resort, Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister. Continue reading “From Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to Facebook, a National Security Crisis in the Open”